Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-04
CALCUTTA sweep
nets WINNER A
{. FORTUNE

The general popularity of the Derby
sweep" is undoubtedly one of the
most interesting features of that
classical event of the turf, London
Tit.Bits remarks. In almost every
factory, shop and office. sweeps" are
organized. employees placing their
In the pool In the hope of drawing a
faVorite and winning q pound or two,
while on much larger scale--the
entrance fees ranging from 10 shill-
ings to R5-"sWeepso are carried on
at the big political, sporting and so
cial clubs and such places as the
stock exchange and Loyd's, the
prizes in many cases running into
hundreds of pounds. Indeed, 1t is no
exaggeration to say that millions Of
people, the majority of whom would
Hprobably strongly object to gambling
and all its evils, take part in Derby
sweeps" every year.
The biggest Derby sweeps" how
ever, are conducted in our colonies
at Calcutta, Johannesburg and Mel.
bourne. While, however, in the case
Of the last two the first prizes usu-
ally reach about 100000, that of the
Calcutta sweep" generally totals up
to over e50,000. (And it is possible
for this sum to be won on an outlay
of about 13 shillings pence (10 ru-
ipees). Something like half a million
tickets are sold annually, and the
method is adopted of giving 40 per
cent of the total receipts to the
drawer of the winner OF the race;
20 per cent to the drawer of the sec
|ond horse, and 10 per cent to the
drawer of the third, the remaining
80 per cent, less 10 per cent for ex-
penses, being divided among those
lucky enough to have drawn starter
in the race and those who have drawn
q nonrunner entered for the race. AS
a matter of fact, subscribers who even
draw horses which 90 not start for
some reason or other may profit to
the extent of something like EGO.
Interest Worldwide.
I Worldwide interest is aroused by
this sweep" and tickets are ap-
piled for from all parts of the world. !
1t should be pointed out, for the ben
eft of those who would like to par !
ticipate in this gigantic sweep" how
ever, that tickets are only issued to
members of the Calcutta Turf Club,
and one can only obtain a ticket
through a member of the club; but |,
there is no limit to the number of
tickets a member may get.
This gigantic sweep" originated
some years ago, when Lord William
Beresford was military secretary to !,
the viceroy of, India. He conceived
the idea of organizing a Derby
sweep" at the Calcutta Turf Club
and in order to increase the value of
the prizes the sweep" was adver- :
tised among all Anglo-Indians-civil-i
ians, soldiers, merchants and plant
ers. The result was that it quickly |
assumed gigantic proportions and has
grown enormously within the last de-
cade. Ten years ago the first prize
was rather over 100000; this year it
is estimated that, like last year, it
will be over 100000, the winning of
which, of course, makes one practi-
cally independent for life; for even at
2k per cent such a sum would yield
an annual income of G1,500.
It is not often, however, that one
person wins the whole of the first
prize, for the simple reason that :,
when it is known who has drawn a
horse syndicates formed in India of
officers and civilians approach the
lucky drawers and offer to purchase
their ticket, or part of their ticket,
iof a certain sum.
Sell An Interest.
! For instance, the winner of the
first prize last year, DR.. Bolton, the