£100 THIS TIME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1935, Page 9

£100 THIS TIME.

GAMING HOUSE FINE. "WELL-KNOWN" PRINCIPAL HOBSON STREET SHOP RAID. When Detectives Brady and Moore raided a tobacconist's shop in Hobson Street, on Saturday morning, they arrested four men and seized a quantity of betting material. This morning, Thomas Curran, Joseph Dempster Cox and Harvey Alfred Magill appeared in tlio Police Court, before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., Curran pleading guilty to a charge of using the premises as a common gaming house, and the other two young men to assisting in the management. The fourth man was charged with being found without lawful excuse on the premises. He was fined 40/. Mr. Malioncy appeared for Curran, Cox and Magill. Senior Detective Hall said that on September 28 a constable in plain clothes went to the shop. He had 110 difficulty in placing three 5/ bets. One horse won, and the constable later called and received his dividend. On Saturday morning Detectives Moore and Brady found Curran arid' Magill in the shop, and in another room Cox was busy taking bets over three telephones. The betting sheets showed that £162 had been taken in doubles, and £95 in bets over the telephones, and there was also some cash betting. "Curran is well known and is in a fairly large way of business," said Mr. Hall. "He has been previously convicted for breaches of the Gaming Act, as also has Cox." "Large Public Demand." "Curran and others in this sort of business appear to cater for a large public demand," said Mr. Malioney. "It is significant that now that a telegraph office has been opened on the racecourse some people insist 011 betting elsewhere. Curran has a good reputation; he is perfectly honourable, and it is interesting to know that lie pays income tax. It is a paradoxical state of affairs. Mr. Hunt: Ho has already paid £300 in fines, and has served one month's imprisonment. Now he's going to pay another £100. He is fined £100, or three months' imprisonment. Regarding Cox, Mr. Mahoney said he was a married man, who had to give up electrical work with batteries because tlio fumes affected his health. As for Magill, lie was there by Curran's goodness of heart. "Well, Cox has not suffered from funics since 1033," said the magistrate. "Ho will be fined £50 and Magill £10."'