BAZAARS IN SCOTLAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5278, 23 February 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

BAZAARS IN SCOTLAND.

(From the Glasgow Herald.') • : 1 Mr. TV. B. -Dunbar," Procurator-Fiscal,-Dundee, has just issued a pamphlet on “ The Law:., as to,, Lotteries, Art Unions, andBazaars,” which will be of considerable'nse at the present - moment in Glasgow, so terribly infested by a set of Enterprise) Sales,”,,(with all tlie, ruinous characteristics .of . primitive lotteries. Mr. Dunbar goes back to the origin of lotteries, and/giyes an interesting, historical survey, of the subject, with a ,variety of cases, which are exceedingly curious. Lotteries first arose out of the necessities:,of the - State; : On' being legalised, they degenerated'in'thb bourse of years, and became;the cause of a'vast mass of deliberate swindling and inevitable domestic mini ‘ As 1 they / could not; be/! pphished ' by statutpryregulations, they were finally abolished in. October, 1826, when the ' last State lottery, ; expired ’ amid general' stttisfaptiqh:.'/But Mr. ■ Dunbar notes that in 183 ; L.a/priyato/Act of Parliament was passed- for the improvement of Glasgow, under which certain street property; in the city was disposed of ' by way bf lottery. Three. 1 lotteries , were' drawn under tho /Act,;. but as it. happened to have’beenpassed through; sheer carelessness,further- proceedings ■ in Glasgow were, prohibited,, and the .lotteries • brought to ah end, Three years later by a special Act. Perhaps wb ought not to regard the fact as curious, 1 however 1 stupid;'that none‘of The . l stiit4t(^ l pro;, ! hibition of,lotteries, authorised,/proceedings 'in. the local Courts of Scotland, so that contravention of the Acts had, in this country;'to/beput 1 down under/t¥e powers of common- law, ~ Two cases in illustration are quoted by Mr. Dunbar. The result of those cases clearly indicates that . while/tho penalties 'for broach of; the, Act against .certain swindling - games . of- chance cannot bo recovered in 'Scotland, l -yet-that [the Act, as' Mr. 1 Macdonald shows, is/ at’ least “effectual to the extent of forming a svifficient 1 foundation for an application at .common Jaw' by any police'fiscal or; proourator/fisdal of itho Sheriff Court by way of Interdict to put 'Sown

enterprise sales, and;',all lotteries of a,, similar kind as.edmmon uiiisanees,”'! , dj'kat thi? is a' reasonable 'view 1 has 1 been * proved by the oircuinstanoe that “Enterprise Sales’.’,hay.e been’ put down in 'Edinburgh/ Dundee,’ ’Aberdeen; and other places, By’the police 'fiscal ofpfbou-ratpr-fipoal simply putting in force .the, powers* ■which ho undoubtedly possesses Under'common law. • If that can be done in Dundee, why has it not .been.done in Glasgow? We- .presume that it can be done, and that the sornewhat sluggish investigationsof jthe .jCrown officers will merely,result in ,doing in this city what fias been done long ago "elsewhere, with,, much : ‘profit to the . community., !,Tu ; the meantime, while the Tjdrd'Advocate and his advisers are sitting fin the i question, „ the . ’“.Entevprisa” • gentry will ho sitting upon, and plucking, the gulls and geese of Glasgow,' to the detriment of public mprals and the increase of paupers, and therefore of the poor-rates. In referring! to, art: unions,: and the/Act'by which! they, are legalised,! Mr;’;Dhnhaf /shows, what fiasjbeen ' long well known, that, under the pretence! of diffusing,a;tast.e for the fine 1 arts; ft’huge m’astf; of meaipand contemptible, art: has been scattered..over the country. , In i, fact; : the Art ; Unions Act has-been the convenient cover for a large amount of organised fraud of the most shameless character.,;. Bazaars are also touched upon by Mr/ Dunbar, who, of course,; does not hesitate.,to. denounce,, their lottery adjuncts; , which are as illegal as the “ Enterprise Sales.” ‘The 1 only remedy!is toafiply the ilaW without fear or favbf/S 1' )’■ ’■ : I I : f.i !