HAMILTON BOOKMAKER FINED

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 83, 2 January 1930, Page 13

HAMILTON BOOKMAKER FINED

£lO,OOO TURNOVER 'OPERATIONS APPARENTLY EXTENSIVE’ Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 1. Declared to he operating on a scale, Harry Abraham Samuels (Mr. Johnson), tailor, of Victoria Street, pleaded guilty in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court to charges of keeping a common gaming house and bookmaking. He was fined £lOO, iu default three months’ imprisonment on the first charge, and £2OO, in default three months imprisonment, on the charge of bookmaking. Samuels was also charged with giving as it bribe to each of two police officers, Detective-Sergeant Thompson and Detective White, a sum of £lO, and a case of pipes. Mr. Johnson said that accused pleaded not guilty on these two charges, and desired to be tried by a jury, -peeking a summary hearing. Inspector lutwle quoted the Police Act. 1913. and stilted that the regulations did not provide for an adjournment. The Magistrate (Mr. Wyvern Wilson) over-ruled the objection, and adjourned the hearing until January 8. £lO,OOO Banked. Describing the incidents lading up to the charges of keeping a common gaming bouse and bookmaking, Inspector Rawle said that the premises occupied by the accused in Victoria Street were raided by two detectives shortly before noon. A large’quantity of betting material was found and a bank passbool: was discovered showing that from May 22 last to December 28 a total of £2032 had been banked. Another passbook showed that from February 2 to December 12 a total amount of £SO72 had been banked. There was information to show that accused ■had been betting in a large way, continued the inspector. His operations included the taking of bets from clients in districts surrounding Hamilton, and he employed agents. At the beginning of last year lie had been fined £25 for bookmaking. It was understood that he was acting as agent for a large bookmaker in Wellington. Detective-Sergeant Thompson said that correspondence was found on accused’s premises showing that he was acting for another man. Witness read a letter allegedly written by Samuels’s employer referring to bookmaking operations and congratulating the accused upon having escaped a raid recently made by the police in Hamilton, as a result of which five men were fined for offences against the Gaming Act. Fines Totalling £3OO. Before ordering accused to pay fines totalling £3OO, the Magistrate said that the ease was very different from those heard at Hamilton recently. Accused had been convicted before and got off lightly. IT his business was as extensive as it now appeared, the former fine was insufficient. Apparently accused’s operations were very extensive and as it npneared that his turnover was about £lO,OOO a year, there would be a very large profit on this business.