The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1890.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5939, 18 September 1890, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1890.

In one of tho late numbers of the Graphic there is an article under "Topics of the Week" on the increase of betting in France that is of peculiar interest to roadors in a colony whore the totalisator is licensed, and gambling is suppressed by law. Says the Graphic, " The advantages of being made nice and clean and good by Act of Parliament do not seem to bo properly appreciated by our neighbors across the Channel. Two yeare ago M. Goblet, acting in the spirit which actuates so many of our owu fussy busy bodies, gotouthisofficial jack-piano and proceeded to smooth away tho bumps and roughness of plungers and men desirous of having a little interest in a race, by putting betting on a strictly moral platform. He therefore did away with the strident bookie, who bawls himself red in the face, and studies not tho canons of high art in his dress; and in his placo erected a pretty little machine known as the /><*»■* mutuel, which was to make all fraud impossible, and to protect the shopkeeper's till from the speculative errand-boy. Furthermore to oast an even stronger odour of sanctity over the machine, a tax of two per cent, on the winnings was to be levied for the benefit of tho poor, for charity covers a multitude of sins. Only two years have passed away, and now M. Albert Wolfi is lifting up his voice and denouncing the pari mutttel as a social danger, which engenders even greater poverty than it relieves. The two percent, for the poor is coming in at the rate of something over half a million francs a month, but the poor have not got a penny of it, for M. Constant—good modest man— has suddenly discovered that the task of dealing with several millions of francs is too much for him. In fact, the part mutuel has enormously increased tho facilities for betting in France, and has dragged into ite net people who never thought of risking their money with a bookmaker. The result of M. Goblet's action is to add another to the long list of lamentable failures to make people good by Act of Parliament." Now tho above article is highly sujrgestive. Wo cannot hope to do away with the totalisator in New Zealand ; it ie a fixture, because on the receipts from it depend the existence of every racing club in tho oolony. Although tho evils it has created are acknowledged on every hand, it is also recognised that it has driven the objectionable form of bookmaker off our racecourses. It has, therefore, cleansed the country of a great many scoundrels, and som6 sense of gratitude to the machine has been accordingly evoked. But the colony is rot getting as much benefit from the totalisator as the machine is capable of conferring , . The totalisator should not, as now, be the property of private individuals, but of tho club licensed to use it. The club might mako what dedictions it pleased from the winnings so as to secure its profits, but certainly not less than three per cent, on the gross takings should go to the Governmeu t, for tie lessening of general taxation. There wouH be nothing immoral in such an arrangement, and the hands of the Crown would not le soiled by touching the " dirty money." There is no article of luxury that is not taxei when it is imported and why should not ttu luxury of gambling be taxed f Whon a pa/ment of two pounds is made the receipt requires a etamp of ono penny, and would it be unreasonable for the State to demand a per centago on the thousands of pounds thsfc change hands on tho racecourse ? We thlrk not. And though M. Constans finds it diJicult te deal with £40,000 or £50,000 a month from this source, we will warrant Sir Hariy Atkinson would have no troublo with much larger sums even though thoy caino iv every week.