BAN ON LOTTERIES

Shannon News, 6 April 1923, Page 3

BAN ON LOTTERIES

POLICE ART UNION. SYDNEY, March 28. The legislation Avliich came into force in New South Wales in February prohibiting the sale of even legallysanctioned art union tickets in public streets, or places, and otherwise restricting anything in the nature of lotteries, lias had the curious effect of obliging the police to restrict their own activities —a necessity to which many have not submitted with the best grace. Originally in conjunction with the firemen of the State, and latterly on their own account, the policemen have conducted an annual carnival and art union in aid of the funds of public hospitals, raising in the course of seven years or so a sunr amounting in the aggregate to tens of thousands of pounds. Under the new legislation, such art unions are generally illegal, but special permission in the case of charities is obtainable from the Crown Uaw authorises, with stringent restrictions on the sale of tickets. For contravening lhe.se, five vendors of the police art union tickets have been prosecuted in the. course of a month, and the promoters have now announced that the position lias become so impossible that the annual custom will be abandoned after the termination of the present art union. This decision followed a pointed inquiry from the Crown Law Office, addressed to the InspectorGeneral of Police, as to exactly what action was being taken by the police to see that the new law was being complied with. ITp to that time policemen in uniform were to be seen daily visiting' the bars of hotels and other places and inviting people to buy tickets in their own art union. The promoter of the legislation, however, was the. AttorneyGeneral, Mr. Bavin, a man of emphatic views on various aspects of social reform. and not one "who would stand idly by and tolerate any lax interpretation of one of hiis pet reforms by State employees. So not only had a general tightening up to be made in the force, but plain-clotlies men. on an adapted application of a certain old formula which might b,o rendered “ set a. policeman to catch a policeman,” were sent out to see that there were no transgressions of the regulations.