The Lotteries (War Charities) Bill was rejected on second reading
in the House of Commons on Tuesday by 81 metes to 77. The Home Secretary and Mr. Boner Law supported the Bill, but left *embers to vote as they pleased. Sir George Cave urged that lotteries Should be permitted during the war -for war charities, subject to the sanction of the polies, and that it was very difficult and unpleasant to enforce the existing law strictly against every promoter of s charitable lottery. He said that the Red Cross pearl "necklace" might bring 12,000,000 in a lottery, whereas, if sold by auction, it would not fetch a tenth as much. For the opposition, Mr. Taylor contended very forcibly that if Parliament epee recognized the legality of gambling in connexion with war charities, it could not refuse to sanction lotteries for other purposes. We think he was right. There is no .harm, of course, in the little raffles conducted at bazaars under elerioal auspices, but there is Wide difference between such trifles and a Red Cross lottery running into millions of money. The gambling mania is far too prevalent in this country. To encourage it by means of charity lotteries would be most UnViSe.
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