EVENING SITTING

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12592, 7 September 1906, Page 9

EVENING SITTING

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. After further debate, the Quackery and Other Frauds Prevention Bill was read x socoml time on the voices. TOTALISATOR ABOLITION. Mr ELL moved the second reading of the Totalisator Abolition Bill. He. urged the House to consider the illogicality of tho position—tho worst Rambling machine in the country was encouraged by tho Legislature, while restrictions were heaped upon a largo number of minor gambling evils. The totalizator had taught many to giinblo —young p_eoplo and women who never dreamt of gambling before its arrival. Hβ cited tho example of tho President of-the United States against Rambling in general. Hβ quoted from a judgnwnt of tho Christchurch Magistrate as a 6trong condemnation of the totalisator and all its works. Ho gave a list of newspapers which were conducting campaigns against the machine—"Lyttehon Times," Auckland 'Weekly Sfewe," and Auckland "Star"

-svnd mentioned two, Petone "Chronicle" and Wairarapa "Chronicle," which had refused to publish all gambling intelligence. Ho detailed the numerous cities of Great Britain which would not permit such things on their public library tables, and claimed that the lato Premier had agreed with him in condemning the machine. Mr McLACHLAN thought the hon. member \jjio had just sat down was undertaking a task beyond his strength. Howover, ho sympathised with him. Gambling was not one of his vices. Ho would support the Bill. Mr HEUIUES congratulated the mover on tho moderation he had shown in his speech. Ho thought, however, if Mr Ell would go and see some of the race meetings, ho would change his mind. He could tell him that the totalisator due roused the stakes for rxcing,_ and found the means for improving tho grounds, stands, etc. Was his friend prepared to sweep that away ? He assured him that his experience was that the totalisator enabled the racing authorities to the sport cleaner and purer. The epjrt was a thing to consider as treo Horn all mercenary motives. For his own part lie knew nothing so exhilarating and enjoyable as to s,e a wull-couleeted finish between, two fine diaries—such, for ex- i ample, a« Jio had Been, lately at Auck- i wind t between tSeahoree and Explosion, i Siiiviy tno hon. gentleman would not go so far as to abolish racing, and racing would be impossible without gambling of same, kind, and the totalisator provided tho least objectionable method. Many of the owners did .not ! patronise tho machine at all; they ' tound tho stakes emtfieient. He agreed | that betting 'had greatly increased of ! lato years*, but no ono could say that was duo to thn totiilisator. Gambling had ir.etvtasod in otdier. countries where thorn was 710 totalisator, as was shown by tho Bishop of Hereford's committee i of tho Hc-uso of Lords. That commit- ' too found at tho same time that bet- | ting on the part of racehorse owners ' had greatly diminished. It was not t;ho machine, that was at the bottom of tliio evil. He urged the lion, gentloman to joi'ii with the rucin<» clubs and help them to ffto racing from the scum of the turf. If t'ho hon. goutiloman would show him some, form of betting more easily controlled, ihe | would join him against tho totalisator. I Tho gamblrn-g habit coulrl noti bo olimi- I natotl, as the Bishop of Hereford's committee had found. The only pc&iiblo alternative to tho clean and ihouieet totalisator was tho disreputable system with w.h'ich the bookmaker was associated. Hβ remembered the pro-totalis-ator days, when, tho bookmaker waR in command, and he did) not want to soo that state of things again. Tho number of bookmakers to tihe population was far greater then than it was now, and racing was lees clean andi letsa 'iindiPT control.

Mr RUTHERFORD carried on the debate till the cupper adjournment. When ho resumed at ton o'clock the Speaker's attention was called to the state of tho House, and the House being counted, the Speaker declared a quorum. Mr FISHER directed the Speaker's attention to tho fact that tho hon. member who had called his attention to the stato of tho House had left tho Chamber. Tho SPEAKER ruled that when an ' hon. member called attention to the etato of fho House, he was counted as pi escnt, whether he was actually in the Chamber when the count took place or •not Mr RUTHERFORD then moved the adjournment of the debate. The SPEAKER ruled that it was not open to him to do so. ■Mr HANAX, continuing the debate, supported tho Bill. Ho disapproved of gambling in any chape. He urged the House to minimise the gambling evil by every means in its power. j Mr SIDEY dwelt on the evils of tho > totalisator, which called for a drastic I remedy. | Mr DAVEY moved tho adjournment; of tho debate. * i The motion was lost by 27 votes to 24. Mr JENNINGS supported the Bill, urging that race meetings were too numerous. Mr WITTY opposed tho Bill. The proper remedy, ho contended, was to reduce tho numbor of meetings. Tho bookmaker evil would be worse than the totalisator. , v Several members: "Tho bookmakers ore hero now." i Mr WITTY retorted that they were not so numerous as they used to bo. Thore were, he continued, worse forme of gambling than the tot.ilisator. which was not responsible for tho increase of gambling. These other forms of gambling were more worthy of the attention of Parliament—for examplo, "two up," which was doing much mischief.

Mr A. L. D. FRASER denied the statement of Mr Ell that tho Jockey Clubs had nsked for telegraph and telephone offices at their meetings. The fact Tvas that, finding these conveniences detrimental to the purity of racing, the clubs had objected to them. •■ Tho Postmaster-G-eneral had. for reasonr? which he would not find fnuJt Trith, decided to supply them, if not on the course, then in< the ■neighbourhrvud. He weat on to advocate the reduction of totalisator permits, so as to curtail the numbor of the evil class of persons who , had brought tho_jmachine into disrepute. THE BILL THROWN OUT. Mr FISHER moved an amendment that tho second rending be taken on the 26th inst., and that provision be included for reducing the number of totalisator permits by one half, until tho tohalisator is abolished. He hoped tho member in charge would accept the amendment.

Mr DAVEY opposed the amendment and supported the Bill. ■ On a division tihe wortls "that the Bill lw now read a eeoond time" were struck out by 37 votes to 25.

Tho House then divided on the motion to nubs-titute the words proposed by Mr Fisher—"that the Bill be road «. second time on the 26th inst."

This was negatived by 35 votes to 29, and the Bill was therefore killed.

The House roeo at 11.53 p.m.