The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3. THE GAMBLING EVIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81856, 3 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3. THE GAMBLING EVIL.

AN advertising agent has lately been lined a sum of money for offering a piize fur iram tickets bearing certain numbers. Of coutse justice has been dune. It was alleged to be a gamble and as gambling is wrong, New Zcalanders who arc at the moment being forced against their will to be the most immaculate people on earth are consequently wondering how long it will be before other great reforms take place. A week before this case was heard, an an union was held in one of the big- towns by permission of the Colonial Secretary. There was nothing revolting about ii. It was airanged to help a man who needed help badly. But the principle was ihe same as the principle of giving- a prize to the holder of a certain tram ticket. The Government itself is not adverse to an "art" union. It will hold one in connection with the NewZealand Exhibition. The Government, furthermore, has up to now run an "art union'' in connection with land; a species of gamble with iniin itoly fewer chances than any other known species of gambling. The land ballot—if a game of chance is wicked—is quite as wicked as the iram ticket flutter.

THE Government erected some workmen's homes awhile ago. They Invited people tu gamble for the chance of obtaining one. Nobody wanted to gamble on the chance apparently. To induce a "better class" of person to gamble for the houses the Government has made it possible for the more wealthy sinners to qualify for prizes. The sheep farmer gambles. He hangs on to his clip in hope that the market may rise. It should be illegal for ucol to be in the woolshed three days after it is shorn I The wheat farmer stacks his grain in die hope that tho price may go up lo five shillings, lie should be fined, of course, j u st the same as the Irani ticket man. He stands a chance of losing or gaining. Chance is sinful. Our poorer relatives in the Old Country have the temerity to put in a fund a few pence per week a month or two before Christmas. The fund pays for Christmas geese. The geese are raffled. The idea of anyone getting what he would otherwise be unable 10 get is sinful. To eat a goose that has been won in a game of chance is sinful.

Tiik Government Life Insurance Department is a gambling concern—one cf the most b ncvolent gambling con cerns in the country. The insured pay a premium for one year, two years or twenty years. If ho dies at any time while the premiums are being paid his relatives get the sa me amount as they would get if he lived to be a cemenarian. Absolutely sinful, of course. The shareho'ders in oil companies, land companies or anv other kind of company, are recruited from both the anti-gamblers and ihe frank gamblers. Nobody enters inio a speculation hoping thai the speculation will not give a return for the money put into it. Nobody refuses t . lake dividend—the reult of gambling. But to do so is just as sinful—or otherwise—as the tram ticket gamble. The advertisers in the papers are gamblers. They spr nd a pound on the chance—lhe best possible chance—of reaping a hundredfold. Ihe potato grower is a gambler. He may get a ion of potatoes from the s'ed In- sows, ~r he may gei un. He's a sinner, and n.itme he ps lu'm to sj n . lie should be suppressed like the tram ticket man. * * K ii

EVERY thoughiful pc-r-o n will agree ilia! the racecourse gambling is over done, and that the unproductive person who does nothing but gamble should pesuppre.-sod, but when we have iließishop of Auckland sayinghe can't see any harm in playing whist for penny points, but can and does see harm in playing bridge yi> u ar e up against the fart ihat nobody believes his special gambling game'as at all sinful. One gathers that the Bishop plays whist for penny points just as the land speculator buys land at £3 pei toot and sells it at £7. Morally, il is just as wicked to win one -.hilling at whist as it is to win a thousand pounds at Monie Carlo. The police in New Zealand have power to'enter a common gaming house where the gamesters play for pennies, but they have not the power to emcr uncommon gaming houses where the players play for guineas. The guineapoint player is too respectable. It is not for the police u, interfere with .he big evil. It is their especial dutv to interfere widi the small scheme—the penny business which Bishop Ncligan ees no harm in.

* * * * ll' tin- morals of this ()r any other country were built on the pattern sec by i hi' Poiitans who do not follow their I'wii advice, „i K I if the police could handle all the cases rln.-y eould get, there would be few pcopj'j i' n ihe streets next Court day. They would ill bo snuggling into the Courts to be ilV. ur K There is no doubt that 'lie r<'al gambling' evil wanO cheeking i' it badly 1,, e;/ery country, but there has never been any a ts'iyp; 1" check gamb'ing in its entirely' anvwherc. | ■Alleged refuimcr" have 'always tried force and failed to effect reformation. Nobody ever felt more holy for having boiling oil poured in his'ear, or subscribed lo thy doctrine of "love one another'' because a hojy i,-,an gave 111 iii a turn or uvo with the rack. ■"• fulled hi? fingernails off with redhot'pine,";: An.i-gai.AVr? who dcbiro to effect reform- "'"*' "' a ' prove to gamblers that they absolutely what they preach' I * * * •

Most of .he anti-gambling campaign "i ->ew Zealand has been directed agam-i the Chinese fan-tan gaminghouse keeper, because he is easy pre,' for the police. In any of the four '.'lid cities of \ew Zealand, the p„. ore could, i| ihoy desired, get a liunoieil conviction- again-'t highV ie--peclal)!,- pe,S', n s who keepun J,,,,,,,, gaming Imu-cs. || j s ; ,|] rj „.| u h] ;».■'!. .■.«:;<■ .he lolalr-ator, prevent lal.eisall . from .ending their tickets ere- . 1,:.*, the fan-tan man. up .,, '■■■"■■ radios and I,an, take Kiim ,, l|f chaner. l,u, having done i|„,.,. ,|,; ni ,. s yoti have barely omhed ,|„. f,i„ K( . e. Hie gambling evil. This being so it is unkind to harass the s„,an sinner whiie the large is protected. -|'| l( . only way to -top ;],,. eomniunrtv f,-,, ni gatnl)ltng_ .s p, p t,. ;K | with t| u ,' <„„_ Silence u| '.he ,- nilllunitv. "Thele 's none thai doetl, good, no not one " jtnd as ,his very general a, cu-a ion inciidi- lie ant.-gamblers, where are »e ... ge; o„ r teaclnas from?

U![ \ ll.\ ku ilic 'Mili-dni' of llir can!1 ,; M"" U-Mr)!;lillii. an( l j p AlKtl.il:;,. j| U il| 1,,, found (],;,( Jj|. t , ;| |] a.yilatioii tip' ;:nii-^;,milling K'viva 1 (l " v ' n - TSirao liiinu- run in rv ' :,II V filler visi-;itjon. It ;l «!' i»'>u~ if o V i'i I""" " f R.'mWinjf 1 "iild bo ondi'd dur lIIH ll»- pri-i'iu iii."ii;lli<>n. mniHwint' a nu'lim;- <>n> of i|„, evil killed no ! 111.!IifiI -s tli;it wi' ;nHcnpniHv pr.ni;! id ],: is-c-s. Compulsi-.n is n,,l ,L;nln,i; 111 I'firrJ jhi' li);|Ji_n,'', llMU'l'VI 1 !'. :md ai lie pivM-nt <i m <- \> u - Zealand has IV.f «:!" K ,';i|i;,|)'r |,t fi w |,li nj ,- || lo ,| nu ,-„ n •>""> 111 '!>" "mill)''' hall'," of till' and tin- ,:f |„„| v . I !>'''<■ k;i .U''iid iinn' I'lminu'. of rnni-c. I;ii 1 xv arc afraid ii j., ve) !■ iik v. ay off.