The Editor, Sir:

When the Jamaican Government headed by P.J. Patterson gave a lottery licence to Howard Hamilton, a leading member of the PNP's National Executive Council, it was a cruel act of historical proportion, when we consider that in the United States 40 states permit lotteries, the primary purpose being to raise revenue.

Most states designate lottery profits for schools and education; some distribute profit to the general fund or one for economic development, such as highway construction or environmental activities. Many states apply the revenues to more than one purpose.

New requirement

Oregon Lottery has a new requirement by the legislature to raise an additional US$67 million in revenue for the payment of expenses of the Department of Education.

The Georgia Lottery Corporation has experienced unprecedented sales and returns to education in its 11-year operation with sales totalling US$21 billion. It has transferred US$ 7.8 billion to the state treasury's Lottery for Education Account.

Therefore, regardless of our moral views we should not be now worrying about schools' auxiliary fees, because all along we had the solution in our hands.

I am,etc.,

MARK CLARKE

mark_clarke9@yahoo.com