THE TOTALISATOR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 127, 29 May 1914, Page 3

THE TOTALISATOR.

GROWTH OF SPECULATION. (jyBEV.M-A. W'.RY PR.VTT.)

f , e pfrsbtpn: attempt- to secure Ration from Tarlianu-nt with « view ;„-, the nil mi XT vi 1 o*.a i-ator ",in, directs 'to thelcp,o r a,,e fact * m ts:z ,:.-■' :• jjjthuip is wrnru I.v the (ianiing Mof ISBI- Sabspqnpnlly the number , _.:„ ;n h*p the mafhirif wa> n^ the Dominion kitaitcd '." -'■''"■ _ ~ . , .. Ti e pur,m- P of ParliiiniPtit in Ipgalif.Jdi: b-'Uinp iiwtrument wa= to re--5 ,M paibiin:. hut. wlipi, ii s.iu.Lrf the toalisatnr and incidentsilly afflfflien-ialiscd pub:ip virtue by miking ierioml vire a sourro nf revenue. ,t toot tti.it what is morally wrong .-an Eerer lie politically ri.'ht or pxp.-dipnt. Si night haw heen cxpr.tpd, the attempt to rfjulate the vim of gainbjins to mpact encouragement nt it. '1 ne MU ]. ? ainr har niadr- Lett in.- ,1 rn-pect. itlf and. indeed, a p.itriotir- action, yet ,„,„„. rftainj all it* old llnr ] gtmrifttff "i tit'- nui'liim , ac-un upH&nit :ko fiin-lani.-nuil fnNin uf »rkf'i lir'i.tntly ppL'r.MiuiiiM:.- stateZ% ::;•„. when i, ]„;», nil it,- The Statn wrmii; v" , '"' ;l ni.idiine that is alral-.tfd to foster aamWina. yet. with holt m-.n-stencv. ppivul, , penaljj»; for ■h"-' , "ho .ire ivftifc enough w "cu -umli i" it- alliirenicnt-. and fall rijtim- u< i!.. mii'iqn inlliipn--p; and mi rerpnt'v as thf year 11'iJ our national Curt-' r.vnrd.-.l 'r" f-»T than -i 1S oimiiii! i-.mvi.tions f..r '..readies ot the Gamin: Art. Thr introtlurlinn of ill' , tntjli-.itor to (iii country hus niidcniably pri.moted anssivp racing. Pri"r t.. th- legalisation of thf mac-binr miny nf ;he racing .-!*. dfppndpnt as they wen- upon print? ?nr^c-ription.- for prizes, in a laipnVhing onndition. Ntfiv they flourjsh thronghoui the land. many jisjtor nn.l were it aiwli-hml half the w inifiiiisa in the Dnmininn would If ahiindonerl in con-fi|Ui-ticc nf being jnanri.illy unprofitable to the promoters. Baon; v now tin lender carried on &n a jport. jilt mainly a- a biisincrv to afford opport.inity fur bettitiiT. It tho ancient Fport "f king? catinnt nmtinup to stand on its own merit.- .i- a sjmrt i: d-serves to /all. Now. it appears to need the support of a iiia.-hine tint w.is recently dfficribed ,ir "that cur«P l'> .-o'iety" by Mr. Ju-tiw Edward*. «ho allirmo.i that "nw mpptitigs arc multiplied simply for thp ?akc nf the s.iins to be derived from Ihi! in-itnimeni of depravity, ihe totaa~.it.-r." The ma.hiiir lu= l.irso'y widened the am anil aljrinili.'ly ai:gnic:ited thp vo!----ump ot Mtn'nling. It crinnot he denicil that »\v Zralanl i.- f.-tsi lipi-muinz :' recklessly «pci-iiiiitivo enmmunity. The increase in totjlwator |utroni4 and in tliP n: tut.ili-.i:.>r , 'in\e-tment.-"-ii that soiin-wh.it euphemistic term i< penniwiblf—i« po-i- ;•. el.- nppalling. A* ihe Chief .lu.-ti'v aflirrii!-. nf people who iiniil.l never have tlreauit of milrin.; b"i- nidi tit" i.oi'kni.iker? nif'n to tfip totoli-iitor oftiep. ,md even women arp not a<h.un".l i.-i u>p die raa.-hinp. Thp folloH-in-.' tjhle i-lparly -hows thp growth of llii* tnethod of gambling: - Itauiful Ami. -Jnvotrd" Treasun-

This record n] eiiitii-teiilh <-ie-.idy pro- ! grass fur the whole ptrind make* th,con- | terting reading. Thp imn-asc of , i'!is:).s37 in thp '•invwtsnonts" during 1911-12 may U- due in part to tlio now j legislation against tin- bookmaker.*, hill , the astonishinz mhan.-f .if an additional mm of CTl;l.nO4 in l'.tl'-n ir, only explirablp by thn Umi-ntiihlf jmwi'h ..f : •1" pimiiiin; spirit throughout thp land.' That in the "nrii'f ?paee of two years ' "iav(Kt.mci)t?" -hould increase liy ifl.fi66_n:i|,iilmiM dwiilitin;: tin- prt>vinu» teal, i; snffi.ifiu'v uUrtninj.' tn fun-, "pen us bow iniidimi*. ln'W .-ontaginu?. ; Mii lia« deadly is ilii- roria] istiwr. lie in.-rea-r chii bf-.-i lif niPaßUrnd <n a per rapita .ba.->. This method o! ! ">inputn'i'in chow? ;in iiivi'Straent r> , . ahout Id per hpail nl pofnilntinn in ■ 191-2; mi ;w ,1 in WcH-k and ~i 72/ PwVad in 1012-l.i. T'mo law prohibits totalizator gamliltnu , H\ any prremi' "ailor t.rent.T-oi)r y f -ar* nf njo." A* there •re approximately 4iJ.n.">n mimrs in tiio : t!ii- I,mmv an adult population nf 5*5,51*. i)f tbf=-.- no fewer than i 265,5K4 are frmales. mil. <J".>pit.f the ! powtli o f th P jajnhiiiij bal.it anions,? '■omen, it may fairly l.c assuTtl.'d Lliat | 'Jβ majority of tii.-iu do not patronise, »ci totn!i-atnr (if the 318J134 adult tta.fe a vpry lartre proportion n.-ithrr famblP nor atu-n.l ra-e mcetin s -. These \ foißidprHtion.s v-ev.-d in tv !i<rlit of j P'e monpy reo-intr. siipprst that the I »> a 7 of twilMtnr piniLTom vrot.ld P rn l«My not ~;...,.i isM.nnn. That, in*N. may !,. i,,n (..(.niTf'U- an estimate-. ; r ii- ai'pr'iviinat irret-ttus? be | »"»»••"; «"•'•■ nm.-i.-it invested m.nn- *?■' ■'- : '-' - "' «n»id work .«!! i ».., ivi ■■".;■; .■ ,T "'- , :- '■'"."-'I ; ' lr ' '■'"''■ ■■" : ' , ' : '^'' t "' V '-' '""' t: '' ' V^t n i/t ! :'.u- ,P "ui r !',!mH U utiiiled ! a 'iy -i ; oyr u-fu! prudiietivp indu.«- „'* "-"ftaniial l-neijt to t'.u- .■o m - woulj result be apparent «hen it t stafd J| if £1000 h, taken f. TV ra. e--s*« -illearn- ~,„„. ~, lhn;! ~,„ I j^eu-ftu':::;!,;^;"; 1 ,,,;;;

Of the ten per cent, levy one-quarter goes to tbe Government in the form oi a Treasury tax. The. clubn ato have to pay, of course, the cost of running the machine. The average approximate cost is about 11 per cent, of the gross amount pax-sed through the machine. Thi.s loaves the raoinjr club a net profit of cix per cent, on the entire totalizator a pcrrentage that annually enriches (die clubs by a sum I rapidly approaching a-o,oaTter of a milj linn sterling. I l!y the rule? of the Raring Confr-rencp, I understand, this income mut*t be given !in --takrw at euccppdins me<-ting.s with a ■\icw to racing by offering big I prize money. Tims ondowed. the clubs I have left to them mr tbe improvement 'of club property and the like, all tnlenmi l from gate money and every other sounv—income which, in the racing year 1012-13 reached :i total of ClChi.oSO.' It if pertinent tr. ask what the Dominion <7i-U- for its truly handeome endowroent of the racing chibs. [ From ism tin- iinvp'rnaipnt taxed toi talieator 1J per cent. This ha> produced revenue, which, wjth ; the growth of the gambling spirit, mii ■■rca.M'd from £7."if1l in the year IS9I-2 to £-20.1v4.i in lOflil-Kl. (In March Ist, 1010. ihe Treasury tax wa? raised to [-S per cent. Till' resultant increase in ! revenue is apparent in thp following iligurer, for the financial yeans indicated:

i The arocptance by the State of the i proceeds uf a national vice compels us all lo partnership in a. pernicious R-TO-tern of which thousands of our best ci'ti7.enj. uttprly Jieapprnve. The acceptance of ritif-.il revenue tends to drusr the mora! '. j sense of the i-ommunity in relation to, '■■t vice that is now a serious menace ' to our industrial life, and that works <leL'raiUition to many of our fellows.! ', Tlie evidence is conclusive that the j I morals uf the community have been ! j very much deteriorated by the opera- j I tion of the machine. It has got 'mine people into trouble than it is pos.-iWc to calculate, ana its legalisation, las Sir Robert Stout long a.sro dpekred, ''■ha* not one redeeming feature in its i favour." ! When Sir RicharJ Baker introdmvd the 'Tntalisator Hill in the South Australian Parliament he said !„. aid so in the hope '..f .liimnis'.iinjr S.otttnjr. but after three yearn" pxpi-riemv of the operation of the machine )„. i-anji.lly confessed that thN hope, hrt.l not boen we.ll founded, , fur tii-ttjnj- Lad increased, and in the I interest* of the morality of thp whole lof the State he p-iKsionafply pleaded for ,the re ? a . ~[ his nA . n b j].,I In tliis Dominion tlie case against the J totalizator daily stronger .by the lomenUblp fniits uf the vices it foeters. Our jtidpes and magistrates, -with remarkable unanimity, comment upon its enl influene,.. and condemn it as a .InmoraliMns thin--. The time has come to ipjridiatp the machine out of esietcticc at once and for ever.

Vrar. 3891- 2 .. we-:; .. 183- 4 .. 1*4-:. .. )«■■; .. 1S.1T- S 188- n .. 189KO 1900- 1 .. 1901- 2 .. mi- r, .. mi- 4 1904-. i .. 18O5- f, . won-; .. 1907- S .. IMS- n .. 1909-10 .. roifl-n .. 1911-12 .. 1812-13 .. :.v I'niilh. ii!>l.r.;:; i;'ir,.i;,'; 7-)::.7i;:: 7O4.'l!li] nij.nnn l.)tis.;:!-j 1.J7--..M:: ].»:;; .4Si l.:«. _ i.tw!s 1.-37.1)0.-1 1 .ft!l!i.7.".7 1. <:;(.:;:;:: l.n:r..r.:M J.s.sr.:i71 ::.r>< io.-ti;.-i Tax. L7..'ir>i hi.SI III 111.141! 1 l.l.-ili ll.nn n.fi'.i.'i i."i,^n:i 17..'41 I'.I.IMO in.7^4 ■JO.4Sli J1--.71 J2.S'.>S J7.Im! ■j'.t.'.mii •J7.(Hi4 -J'.i.iU-'. 4s.:cw sii.O'.l.")

1 r»io-11 11)11-1:! .... l!U-J-l:i .... . £48.338 . £72.184 . iS6.n'J.-,