INSPECTOR OF TOTALISATORS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 280, 15 August 1918, Page 4

INSPECTOR OF TOTALISATORS

REASONS FOR APPOINTMENT. It was announced yesterday in a Press Association telegram' from Cbristchurch that the Minister of Internal Affairs had appointed an officer of tho Department to act as inspector over the working of the totnlisator at the Grand National Meeting in Christchurch this week, and at subsequent meetings. 'J'ho appointment lias been made because of complaints, some of which have been proved in the courts to have been well grounded, that tho people operating the totnlisator at some meetings have not been observing the provisions of the Gaming Act. Section 32 of the Act makes it unlawful for any "member, officer, agent, or servant" of any racing club to receive for investment on tho totalisator any moneys after the timo notified for the starling of the race, or to register on the machine any sums of money after such starting time, or to tako account of sums of money so received or registered in the computation of the dividends to be paid. It will lw the duty of tho officer appointed by the Government to seo that in these respects tho law is fully and literally observed.

The Minister (the Hon. G. W. Russell) made a brief statement yesterday as to tho reasons for the appointment. Cases had occurred, he said, which showed that the law had not been complied with in, regard to the displaying of'the. complete investments on a lace before tho starting. Within the past year or so two metropolitan clubs had been prosecuted for such breaches of tho law. A circular letter was sent to all clubs a year ago, asking them to arrango that no race should be started until the totalisator houso signalled that the whole of the investments had been shown finally in front of tho machine. This instruction had not been carried out by some of tho clubs,'consequently it had been deemed necessary to appoint an inspector of totalisators. Until such an officer attached his certificate of accuracy of the final grand total of investments for a race it would not be allowed to start.

Mr. P. J. Kelleher, who had been appointed to this inspectorial position, had been chief clerk for a number, of years in the Department of Internal Affairs, continued the Minister. Mr. Kelleher had had the supervision of all matters in connection with totalisator permits, and was therefore qualified in every way for his new duties. The working of the totalisator at every race meeting would i!) 0 watched by a responsible Slate officer. Deputies would be available to act for Mr. Kelleher in the case of several meetings on tho same days. The-honesty of the clubs was not questioned in any way by the Department, which had no reason to suppose that tho clubs would lend themselves to anything that was not open and "aboveboard, but the cases which had occurred showed that stricter supervision was necessary. The Minister remarked that ho was 'of opinion that in the interests of racing and the clubs as well as tho investing public, the appointment of an inspector had 'become necesfli'e Minister added that before finally making the appointment he had telegraphed to Sir George Clifford, president of the Racing Conferenw, .who acted as tho medium by which Ixith the racing clubs and the trotting clubs conduct negotiations with the Government on the subject.of totalisator permits, and Sir George Clifford expressed his entire approval of 'the proposal.