§ Mr. Loverseedasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that tickets for a lottery, described as a football pontoon, are being sold in large quantities, and during official hours, in the War Office, week by week, under the auspices of a body describing itself as the Union of State Servants' Social Club; whether any breach of official regulations is involved in this activity; and in what circumstances staffs can be spared from their official duties to carry on this traffic.
§ Sir J. GriggTickets for a lottery are being sold in the War Office by the Union of State Servants, a Civil Service Association the membership of which is not confined to employees of the War Office. No official sanction has been given for the holding of the lottery, which a representative of the Union states is being conducted according to the requirements of the law. The ticket sellers were instructed by the organiser not to sell tickets during official hours and no complaints have been received that the time of the staff is being wasted. The running of sweepstakes is not in specific terms forbidden by the Office Instructions. Nevertheless, after due consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the War Office ought formally to discountenance lotteries and sweepstakes of this kind organised by sectional interests inside the War Office and instructions are being issued accordingly.