Australian Newsletter Totalisator Betting Move Seems Doomed

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30125, 8 May 1963, Page 21

Australian Newsletter Totalisator Betting Move Seems Doomed

[By FRANK PUDDICOMBE, N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) SYDNEY. The report of the Royal Commission recommending legal off*course totalisator betting in New South Wales seems doomed. Some political reporters are emphatic that it has no chance of being accepted by the State Labour Party, and it is known that many Liberal and Country Party members also oppose it.

The Royal Commissioner, Mr Justice Kinsella, recommended legalised off-course totalisator betting,, coupled with heavy penalties, including gaol, to stamp out starting price betting. The recommendation has deeply divided State Cabinet and Government back-benchers.

Members hostile to the recommendation claimed that a system of licensing startingprice bookmakers would have been much better. They said the totalisator system would never stamp out illegal betting and that the heavy penalties recommended to stamp it out were like “a return to the convict days.” They were sure, they said, that the heavy penalties would drive illegality further underground and increase bribery and corruption. Illegal starting-price bookmakers in Sydney were quoted in the newspapers as saying they were confident the State Government would not adopt the Kinsella report. One of Sydney's biggest starting - price bookmakers said: "They will never stamp out S.P. bookies. “These men know their way around —they are not kindergarten kids,” he added. In his report. Mr Justice Kinsella said New South Wales probably had 6000 illegal off-course bookmakers, with an estimated turnover of £275 million a year. Racing experts regard this estimate as conservative. The Kinsella. report was tabled in Parliament last month, but no legislative action can be taken on It until Parliament resumes on August 20. During the recess. Cabinet will discuss the report and form a policy on it and if, contrary to all present evidence, the Government does adopt the recommendations of Mr Justice Kinsella, the Upper House will most certainly reject them. Political correspondents report that the Labour “rebels” who hold the balance of power in the Legislative Council, are opposed to a totalisator off-course betting system in this State. The 10 Labour rebels in the Upper House are said to believe that the totalisator system would be unpopular with the average New South Wales punter.

They said a similar system had not satisfied punters in Victoria and Queensland. There ha§ been a remarkable rise in popularity of the Totalisator Agency Board in Victoria. In its first year the board held £9,673,000, but in the second, which ended on February 28 this year, the total soared to £21,560,000. ¥ ¥ ¥ Compulsory X-Rays From July 1, everyone in New South Wales over the age of 14 years will face a fine of £2O if they do not attend chest X-ray clinics. On that date X-rays for tuberculosis become compulsory. The penalty will mount by £2 a day until the defaulter has been X-rayed in a proclaimed district. Health authorities will use electoral rolls as a basis for checking attendances, and absentees will be prosecuted after warnings. The Minister for Health (Mr W. F. Sheahan) said this week that poor response to free X-rays had forced the Government to make them compulsory. The Commonwealth Government had asked all States to introduce this law, Mr Sheahan said. Last year only 63 per cent, of the population of Sydney were X-rayed in the areas proclaimed. In country districts nearly 86 per cent, attended X-ray clinics. Only 45 per cent, were X-rayed in some suburban areas In another Australian State, compulsory X-rays had lifted the attendance to 95 per cent. About £lB million has been spent on the prevention and control of tuberculosis in New South Wales in the last 14 years. A recent poll showed that the majority of people who had declined to attend X-ray-clinics had done so because they feared the effect of radiation. Mr Sheahan told the public this week that the risk from tuberculosis was 1000 times greater than the radiation effect.

New Currency Game Since the Federal Government decided a few weeks ago to introduce decimal currency into Australia, almost everyone has indulged in the “game” of finding suitable names for the new currency. Some of the suggestions have been highly amusing, as have also been some of the letters to the newspapers in support of suggestions. There have been many “demands" that the “penny” be retained. Writers have argued that one could not say: “A roo for your thoughts” or “I don’t give a two-wallaby damn” in place of the time-worn expressions “a penny for your thoughts” and “I don’t give a twopenny damn." A private competition conducted by a Federal Labour M.P., Mr A. D. Fraser, brought a wide response. Some of the suggested names included: Fisher (a former Labour Prime Minister), Berra, Stral, Vieta, Newal, Tasma, Quee, Cook, Smithie, Alp. Brumby, Anzac, Melba, Magpie, Camber, Regal, Eureka, Monash, Hughes or Billie, Pacific and Noodle. There were many of Ming (Menzies) and Arthur (Calwell). Tile authoritative support has been for dollars and cents ag the most useful names for the new currency units. The chairman of the Commonwealth Banking Corporation, Mr Warren McDonald, and the secretary of the Retail Traders’ Association of Australia, Mr J. B. Griffin, have both issued statements supporting these terms. A Sydney newspaper survey among other banking and trading officials also revealed support for the dollar and cent terms, There has been some support for the term “Auster.” which is favoured by the Federal Treasurer (Mr H. E. Holt) for the main decimal currency unit of 10s. ¥ ¥ ¥ Safety Belts The Australian Transport Advisory Council will face a new move to compel manufacturers to fit safety belts to all motor vehicles when it meets in Adelaide next month. The council comprises all State Transport Ministers and the permanent heads of their departments.

It has already discussed the issue twice and on both occasions it decided safety belts in all new vehicles, and it has the support of motoring organisations. At present only 5 per cent, of cars and utilities in v Australia are fitted with safety belts, and only four out of five people use them regularly in these fitted cars. This was found in a survey carried out by the Australian Road Safety Council. The check showed also that in Victoria, where there has been the most intensive campaign to encourage the use of the belts, only 10 per cent, of cars and utilities are fitted with them.