AN ALLEGED LOTTERY

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1922, Page 6

AN ALLEGED LOTTERY

STRATFORD RETAILERS FINED. THE .£lOOO DRIVE. At the Stratford Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, Edgar Marshall was charged with establishing a lottery in which prizes were allotted by a mode of chance, and Frederick Cook was charged with having sold a ticket the lottery. The case arose from the Stratford retailers’ recent ’£looo drive for funds for 'the improvement of the Technical High School grounds. Both accused pleaded guilty. Sergeant Dale detailed the operations of the Stratford Retailers’ Association in trying to raise £lOOO for the purpose of improving the grounds of the new Technical High School. A number of prizes were displayed in the shop windows —fenders, bottles of wine, bags of flour, etc. Sergeant Dale said he .purchased a ticket from Cook at the A. and P. sports. This ticket entitled him to a prize. He (the sergeant) saw people getting their prizes from lorries and special prizes from a shop. In the end £BO7 was raised, and the money had been handed to the proper authorities. A fortnight before the giving out of the prizes he called the secretary and two members to his office. He said the scheme was illegal, and they suggested they should get a permit. He told them the Minister could not give a permit, as the whole thing was illegal. Mr. Masters, M.P., made an unsuccessful attempt to get a permit. Mr. Marshall said that if the Association had known at the stai*t that the scheme was illegal they would not have started it. After the interview with the sergeant he wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs, who said the scheme was illegal, and no permit could be given, but advised being guided by the local police. By the time this reply was received the scheme was well under way. It seemed hard that the Association should raise such a good sum for the Government and then be proceeded against in the present manner. The S.M. (Mr. A. M. Mowlem), said a breach of the law should have some mark of disapprobation It was a pity that in the ease of such a worthy object there should bo a breach of the law, but the worthy object could be no excuse for a breach of the law —if it was there would soon be chaos To see how seriously the law regarded the offence it was only necessary to look at the section, which provided for a fine of up to £2OO and imprisonment up to six months in the case of a second offence. Therefore, defendants were taking a considerable risk. The Court could see no difference between the two defendants, and each would be fined £5 and costs.