A LEADING Worcestershire figure slammed Britain of half-a-century ago as being "a divided nation - of gamblers and of savers."
He was Kidderminster's Sir George Eddy, then Chairman of the West Midlands Region of the National Savings Movement, and he made his biting comments in presiding at the annual regional conference of the movement in Malvern Winter Gardens.
He told the 290 delegates: "We have one section of the nation gambling and the other saving. We are gambling £600 million per year, but is this section of the community being fair to the country? In 1950, we squandered £52 million on football pools and £57 million last year.
"I appeal to this section of the community to cut down pools by half and to put the other half in National Savings, and so have a stake in the future of this sorely-tried country.
"This is a 'certain gamble' whereas pools are not. Life is not a lucky dip - it is a bring and buy sale.
"England would have been in a sorry state if it had not been for the savings worker," contended Sir George.
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