The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1911. THE PHARISEES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 12, 8 July 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 8, 1911. THE PHARISEES.

A man was lately fined 40s and costs for having taken part in a lottery (to wit, a Tattersall's "consultation"). The trouble was that he was found out. He would not have beeii found out if he and another man who sent part of the "investment" had not quarrelled. The matter thus having got to the cars of the police (who also liave "their little bit" on), the police took action. The "prohibition" put on the people of this Dominion in respect to the Tattersall's sweeps is one of the absurdities of the alleged system which pretends to force New Zcalanders against their wills to become anti-gamblers. We say nothing about the wickedness or otherwise of gambling, merelv declaring that "consultations" of the kind mentioned are almost unrestrained. If it were wrong for the man who won £IBOO to send money to Tattersall's his sin was no greater than that of thousands of people who habitually send money to "Tail's." The Post Office is party to this great system. The Department knows that during the. vear it sends thousands of money orders to Tattersall's for the people. It knows the agents, but it does not refuse to issue the orders. The Postal Department handles thousands of letters from Tasmanian sweep agents. It knows the handwriting of the clerks and the shape of the envelopes, and all about it. When our pharasaical leaders get abroad they give outsiders the impression that New Zealanders really take notice of the innumerable laws devised for their forcible morality. The fining of a man who has

won a prize in a racing sweep is pure, unadulterated hypocrisy, and is at the same time unjust, for it singles out one person in ten thousand for the whip of the law. We know, the police know, and the Post Oflice knows, that hundred weights of money-orders are sent to Tasmanian sweep promoters from New Zealand every year. We know, and the police know, and the Postal Department knows, that every buyer of every order thus sent is as guilty of a breach of a law that was made to be broken as was the man who won £lSf)o. Laws of the kind seem to be specially devised to mislead outsiders into the belief that we are more moral than any other people. The State takes action once in two or three years and pretends it is "putting down gambling." In the meantime, its servants are paid by it to issue gambling orders as fast as they can write, and. as before, the country is flooded with ' consultation" circulars brought by the State's mails every week. Xohody really but the pretence is kept up that gambling is dead. As long as the other fellow thinks wc have become spotless what matter that five out of ten of us gamble—thanks to State aid?