THE GAMING BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 274, 18 November 1910, Page 6

THE GAMING BILL.

IN THE EmiSLATTVE COUNCIL.

SMPORTANT AMENDMENTS,

BILL IN JEOPAEDT.

EIGHT.HACES .A. DAY.

(By Telegrapb.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Thursday.

In the Legislative Council this afternoon the Gaming Act Amendment Bill was considered in committee. On the motion of the Attorney-Gener,-al (Dr. Findla/), an. amendment Was in-'. trnduced to make the Whole Act come into operation on January 1 next instead of on tlie passing of the Act. Considerable changes were made in ctause 2, which prescribes penalties for street betting. Dr. Findlay explained that the object of the amendments was to spread the net as widely as possible. Sub-clause 2 of clause 2, dealing with penalties for street betting, was eliminated, and the following substituted: — (2) "Every bookmaker who bets in any street or on any racecourse or in any public place, as defined by section 2 of the principal Act, or within the view or hearing of any person in or on any such street, racecourse, or public place, commits an offence, and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not less than £20, and not exceeding £100, for a first offence, and to the like fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months for a second or any sub- j sequent offence against this section, | whether of the same or of a different kind. (4) In this section the term "betting" and "bet" includes the act of any person in betting, wagering, offering or egreeing to .bet or wager, paying, receiving or settling any 'bet or wager, or offering or agreeing to pay, receive or settle any bet or wager, whether on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person." (5) "In this section the term 'street' means (a) any public road, street, or thoroughfare, and any road, lane, street, footway, or ppassage, whether, a. thoroughfare or not and whether public or not; and (b) any enclosed or unenclosed land (not being a building or a racecourse on which a race meeting is being held) in any city or borough." Clause 4, providing that clubs are to prevent bookmakers from plying their calling on racecourses, .was amended' by the excision of sub-clause- 2'(enabling a constable to remove from a racecourse any person who has committed a 'breach of clause 2) and the-substitution of the following sub-clause^ —(3) "In this section the .tenm 'license' •means - - a license to use the totalisator under the principal Act, or & license granted under the 3-iace Meetings Act, 1909." (4) "Any person >who on any racecourse acts in breach oi section ■_ of_fhis Act, and who after 'be mg -warned: by any'agenY.o? ser~ vant of the racing club.having the use ' or control of that racecourse, or by a'liy constable, does not desist from so acting, may be forthwith removed from the course -by-any-such agent-or-ser-vant -or- 'by any--constable"; (5) "any person so removed shall not on the day of such removal re-enter the course, and il he -does "so' re-enter, he may, 'without warrant, be arrested by any constable end taken before a ntagis—i-ate or any two justices and shall bff.rlia.ble.on summary conviction "to a fine not exceeding £50, or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding oner month'!;..(o) "this-.section shall extend" and appjy-'to -every" racecourse whether it is or -is mot -in- 'the occupa.troir-of--th.e- ■■ use or control- thereof, _n_" wSefchef it is or is not subject jto_ "of public use or entry, ibutliotEihg in thisse'etibn shall be so construed as to limit or. ptake awciy the right of any racing club to exclude or remove, any person pfrom. any. _ racecourse of which that, club is the occupier, and -which is free pfrom any right of public usei or entry." At clause a (the Governor.may appoint a Commission to determine the number of. 'licenses to >be issued during ■tli? year), the Hon. J. JUgg.(Wellington) took strong erxception to the clause, as it would, ho declared,'..throw the whole ; power" into -the hands, of metropolitan clubs.' He moved to strike out the first- ! five words with the object of pkilling the clause. - ... Dr. Findlay urged that the Council- ' should pass the section on the assump-. " tion that the- Coammassion • would -toe com- • posed of proper persons. The amendment was defeated by 14 rotes to 13. Tlie Attorney-General moved to strike out sub-dause 2 of clause s,''givingpre- .:■ ference in the 'matter of licenses to. those clubs which -use the totalisator at one ' meeting only .in any year. The Hon. J"j Bigg moved a. prior amend- j ment to stri—e out tbe words "at one meeting," and substitute the words "one ; day." This, he explained, would give '• preference to 20 clubs only. If the sub-. , clause were s_ruck out altogether the ( passage of the 'bill through the House would be jpeopandised. The clause was deleted iby 22 votes to 10. " ] On resuming at _ p.m. a discussion £ took place on sub-clause 3 of clause 6, c which limits the number of races to be ' nm on any one day to seven. The Hon. t O. Samuel moved to substitute "eight." f Tlie Attorney-General opposed this, and z said that there was too much racing now- t adays. The tendency was to turn a meet- c ing into a day's totalisator investments, ( and not a gathering of the people. j The Hon. G. Jones deprecated any c attempt to increase the profits of the j. great racing magnates. Several of the j large owners had made handsome .profits s out of the spoTt. j The Hon. J. D. Ormond: You can't name one; I defy you. Hon. G. Jones: Don't threaten mc, I might. The sport, he added, was not f concerned with the breeding of horses— r it was a question of benefiting a few IV individuals. ..ti The Hon. J. T. Paul quoted figures td C show what certain leading, owners, had. .t) made in the last ten years. ti The Hon. J. E. Jenkinson said the b; owners in question had not "made" the ai amounts quoted; they had won the sums, tl named. ,h _ "I have been a good many years rac- a,( ing," said the Hon. Sir George McLean, "d, and I would like the hon. gentleman to give mc a few thousands for what I have abouT-it G - J ° neS: Y ° UdOTl ' t w much tc aW ST ge M , cLean = I know as much " about it as most people. • I have had my n successes and., my non-suc&ssfe'. You t] get in .a. vein of winning, and then you d have a run ol bad luck! 1 What loes'Tt a cost to take a horse from: the^uth|i Island up to Auckland, say, and nay - . travelling, training, - and - jockey's I I ri 5 '! 1 T" tv : c to that no horse i M jear. Where is the" profit if you _ eep a ,

•racing stable of 25? _ don't know a _nan in the colony who has rdade money out of it. The late Mr. Stead's case, where his career cat, the .turf concluded with a most extraordinary sale, was* the only exception he knew of. I venture td say (he continued) that' j.f. Ormond for" years has hot earned oats'lof'Tiis horses. He has had his successes, ahd I defy him to say he has made it pay. . I had to give it up because I could iibt afford it. I do not know where pur pleasures would go to if we had men like Messrs. Jones and Paul to rule us. ThCy don't want to let us drink; they won't '[let us "eat very shortly.

The Hon. J. D. Orrriond then gave the Council some personals-experience. "I can say this," he said, '-That although I have headed the list of •winning owners on imore than one occasion never once have p I ever paid niy. expenses. .: I don't believe any other dw_er\''has. either. We do it for the love"!of the sport, and for the pleasure we get out of it." He added that those who had quoted the figures must ibe entirely ignorant of the expenses of racing.. He urged that the limitation of events should- not be placed at seven. The Attorney-General pointed out that six races sufficed in Victoria per day, and five was good enough in France. After further discussion the amendment was carried by 13 votes to 12. the division being as follows:—For the amendment (13) : Callan, Rigg, Jenkinson, Stevens, Loughnan, McLean,' ' Ormond, Kelly, Thompson, Wigram, McGoiwah, Sinclair, Samuel. Against the amendment ,(.12): Finlay, Luke, Paul, Barr, Jones, Beehan, Smith, W. C. Smith. S. J. Baldey, Collins, Anstey, and Harris. Another division was token on the motion to insert the word "eight." The result being in Mr. Samuels' favour toy 14 to 12. . The "Seven" party was reinforced by the Hon. Capt. Tucker, .but the Hon.-Dr.._Oollins this time recorded his vote with, the "Eights." The Attor-ney-General, said 'he did not knowj whether progress should not be reported. Mr. Samuel: "Oh! let us .finish the! bill." •! Dr. Findlay said be did not know whether it was worth while, in view of the amendment, and in view of what I bad .taken place in the -borne. I However, he went on. Tlie bill was reported with these and other amendments designed to improve the drafting of the bill, and one to extend the provisions,.as to. street-betting to betting in licensed premises. The following tipw subclauses were inserted oh the~motion of Dr. Findlay:— "If any race is run in breach of this section, every member, officer, agent or servant of the racing club having contro Of that race meeting shall, unless h prove that be was not a consenting party to that breach, 'be guilty of ai offence punishable on summary convic tion by a fine not exceeding £50." A new clause, 4a, was inserted provid ing that every license issued in respect a any year after June 31, 10,11, s hall bi issued in respect of a single race meeting and shall specify the number of days oi which the totalisator imay be used a 1 that meeting. The aggregate number o days on which the totalisator may. b< used ia the Dominion in any year shal not exceed 250, and the number- of day: the totalisator may be used at any on< meeting shall not exceed four. A foui days' face meeting at which the totalisa tor is."used shall not. extend over eiglu consecutive days, a three days' meetinj shall -jjot 'extend over six days; and « two days' meeting shall not extend ove: four days. A proviso gives authority t( extend: the number of days where incle relent-jfwoather, or 'any extraordinary circumstances compels the-club-to post pone "ihe meeting -to a later day. Thi Governor is empowered to tmakeregula tions as to the grant of licenses, and as to the conditions on which they may b<