BY HOOK OR BY CROOK.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 121, 22 May 1908, Page 4

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK.

BETTING WITH INNOCENTS. "Any day that the horses arc running I undertake to walk along ono of the main streets of Wellington and wager all I have, and more," said a punter to c a representative of The- Post recently.' The speaker! was .not prepared to^ say whethei-, street-betting, of a guarded kind, was on the increase, but ho was sure- "thafc he- could do all the staking there that he desired. Commissioner Dinnie maintains _ that street-betting has declined, and his belief is shared by most observers. The "better class of bookmaker" scorns to catet for lialf-crowns on the King's highway', but more lowly craftsmen have tried td make a profit out of the popular weakness, in other days, when the law was not so effective for the suppression, of "bookerjes," there were indiyi^als of low degree who eked out an existence b ; > fetching and carrying for the upper circles. When the new era made them turn to other avenues they invaded the street. This contingent was ever lurking about to snap up pieces of silver ( iln the early days of the new Act these people flourished, but lately they have mostly subsided. While mentioning that street-betting was decreasing, Chief Betective M'Gratli remarked yesterday that the traffic went on illicitly in hotels and shops. It was done much more guardedly than formerly. There seemed to be nothing to prevent persons' from betting with bookmakers ;in hotels and other buildings. 'The pblice 1 "might prove everything that took place, and yet no offence against the- law would be disclosed. What seqmed to, be a flaw in the Act was the section dealing with the definition of „'.!s,tree.t,".s ■ the scope was not wide .enough.' Of course there was a section yflesign^d'fjoi 1 the suppression of common iaimng^houses, 1 b'ifc if 'a'vbookmakfcr judiciously scattered his operations among 'feany buildings, what was to prevent iim from thriving? However, concludjed Mr. M'Grath, there was not an exh iraordinarj amount of this class of 'business-g oing on. Gaming houses of ike kind which used to be in vogue had,i been, wiped out practically altogether, j