VICTORIA'S GAMING LAWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 93, 13 January 1908, Page 6

VICTORIA'S GAMING LAWS.

. A JUDGE'S VIEWS. "TOTES" AND PONY RACING. ; ■ (BY. TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) , Chrlstchuroh, January 11. 'Speaking to a "Times" reporter on the Gaming Aot in Victoria, Judge Johnston, of Melbourne, who is over here on a visit, said it had not yet been long enough in force to enable him to express a decided opinion as to its effect. His experience as a Judgo 1«1 him to the conclusion that excesses in particularly where it took the form of betting on crcdit—"On the nod," as it was called—were responsible for a large number of embozzlement cases. As to whether that evil was yet successfully counteracted by the onactment, it was too early to say. It was undoubtedly true, the Judge added, that during- the past year one of the great betting evils had passed away, (namely, the mammoth "tote," tho famous law-defying Collingwood institution having been abolished. Tho Collingwood "tote" was not the only one of tho kind. Ho himself had tried a case under the old Act, and in that instance the Crown was successful in securing , a cohvictioii. The difficulty in connection with the Collingwood "tote" was to obtain sufficiont evidence to secure a conviction, but the neiv Act, by arming the Executive with greater powers, had succeeded in stopping all the totalisators. \ Tho alleged owiier of the Collingwood "tote" was also tho owner of tbo Ascot Pony Racecourse. . Pony racing, Judge Johnston explained, had up to the present time borne tho bar sinister, and all persons connected! with it were disqualified by the Victoria Racing Club Committee as persons connected with an unregistered course. That position una Club, as the Supremo Court in racing matters—like the Jockey Club at Homo—Was able to maintain, but under the now provisions the Legislature had oxpressly recognised pony racing courses, setting apart a certain number of days in each year for races on such courses. The owners were also permitted by the Act to run horse-races on their courses. The Victoria Racing Club had met the wishes of tho Legislature as far as recognising the pony racing courses, and allowing tho owners, trainers, and jookeys of poiiies to race at Fiemington without disqualification, but, so far as horse-racing or pony courses was cohcornod, tho Club, in viow of the oxcossivo amount of horse-racing already going on, had refused to recogniso courses used for horses as well as poiiies. Tbo late Australian papers showed that a formidable controversy had arisen between Mr. Wren, tho owner of tho Ascot course, and the Victoria Racing Club, and tho Premier had been asked to introduco legislation to force tho hands of tho Club, and thoro was evidently a battle imminent. It was universally admitted, Judgo Johnston said, that horse-racing was ovor-doho in Australia.