THE LOTTERY LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1919, Page 4

THE LOTTERY LAW.

A PRIEST IN COURT. RAFFLE OF A RACEHORSE. By Telegraph.—Press Association, Wellington, Last Night The Lottery Law lays down that arki. cles other than works of art may only be disposed of by lottery or raffled when the express permission of the Minister ttf In.. ternnl Affairs has been obtained, and a' pronouncement was made at the time that the Trentham Scholarship ArtUsioa permits would no longer be readily given, although the Government had granted very many such permits during the war period. The police took action at the Magig'4 trate'a Court to-day against Father Smyth for alleged offences against the Gaming Act in connection with a Roman Catholic bazaar held in the Town Hall recently. Chief Detective Boddam' said advert tisements in the daily papers had called special attention to three main prizes, i thoroughbred chestnut filly rained at t, hundred guineas, a suit of clothes, oy • costume, and an eiderdown quilt, While many other articles of silverware and other goods wero also mentioned. When spoken to by the police, the defendant had been perfectly frank, and detailed a scheme whereby these articles were to bo disposed of. There was, he wished to stress particularly, no suggestion that the tickets had been disposed of in any other than a perfectly fair manner. Father Smyth, in evidence, admitted the articles had been disposed of in a manner in which a certain ele« mont of chance entered into the buying and selling of very many articles, and he particularly mentioned those old favor* ites of juveniles, the bran cub and the lucky bag. The racehorse in question had been offered to the bazaar as a raffle by a friend of one of the lady stallholders, but he had advised her not to accept or refuse until he knew where he stood. He then called on a solicitor, and as a remit of their discussion this solicitor drew np a scheme already outlined. Not wishing to run.any risks of going outside the law, be submitted that scheme to a second legal practitioner, who, after considering the matter, passed it on to another com frere, Who also pronounced that tho, scheme was well within the law. The Magistrate reserved his decision.