THE GAMBLING EVIL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 162, 11 July 1910, Page 6

THE GAMBLING EVIL.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —As one who has for many years worked amongst the manual labourers in Auckland, I beg leave to put before your readers one phase of the gambling evil which during the present controversy has scarcely been mentioned, a phase which I regard as the worst of _ all, and that is the existence of amateur bookmakers in our factories, mills, etc. I know for a fact that many young lads ' have made their first bets with these men j have perhaps "struck a double," 1 and thus encouraged were in a few v weeks taking time off to attend the ■ races and there plunge any little savings 1 they possessed on to the totalisator, and ; having lost all would likely join their seniors in some hotel and return home drunk as well as penniless. Yes, Sir! these amateur bookmakers are much more pernicious in their influence than '■ their licensed brethren, for they come ' in touch with the as yet innocent youth, 1 working perhaps alongside him all day, ; and travelling home with him in the ! evening, while the professional would never see him, perhaps, were it not for > the first temptings of the amateur. ! Some may be inclined to think that there ' are very few of this class of book--1 makers, but working as I do amongst • the labouring men, and hearing continu- ' ally of "stiff'uns," "dead birds," "schlin- • ters," "dropped quids," etc., I am in a ' position to know what I am writing - about, and I can assure any doubter that , there are dozens of this class of gentry ' scattered through our working populai tion. ) Another disquieting feature of the i gambling question is the hold it is netting on our women folk. They can now [ be seen in scores at our large race meeti ings "making up" tickets to put on the totalisator, and the class of people they : associate with in this "making-up" proi cess are very frequently people that their i husbands or brothers would never care to . see in the home. Now,' the majority of these women would not go down Queenstreet and deliberately bet with the pro- , fessional bookmaker, but here again the amateur comes in handy, for he will : come round to the house, or he is an acquaintance of one of the family, and •on visiting terms, and having insinuated himself into the good graces of his hostess, he is next introduced to the lady next door, and so the evil spreads. . I feel rather disheartened sometimes, when, as an officer of my union, I find that I can scarcely get the attention of my mates away from their race talk, and on to the more serious problems of labour, whicli now beset us. and I feel sure that many of our union officials can give the same testimony.—l.am, etc., 1 WORKER.