§ 57. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can inform the House as to the result of the draw for the 25 gold £50 pieces for which applications were made to the Royal Mint; how many applications were received; how was the draw carried out and in whose presence; and what was the method adopted for mixing the applications prior to the draw being made?
§ Mr. COOPERThe applications, which numbered 1,329, were numbered at random, and correspondingly numbered tickets having been mixed in a container, 25 were drawn by the Deputy Master of the Mint in the presence of two other officers of the Mint and of an officer of the Treasury. Each of the applicants has been informed of the result.
§ Sir W. DAVISONis my hon. Friend aware that there is an offer of 2,000 in this morning's "Times" for one of these £50 pieces; and may I ask whether he does not consider that a secret Government lottery of this kind, without proper advertisement, is very unfair to the large body of citizens in this country, and to all citizens in the Dominions, who have been given no opportunity of taking a share in this valuable State lottery?
§ Mr. COOPERIt is impossible to make sure that the whole number of inhabitants of the country and of the Empire should be informed of the terms of any lottery, however wide the advertisement might be.
§ Sir W. DAVISONWould it not have been better and fairer to have had an ordinary lottery and to have given the proceeds to the Jubilee Fund?