REFERENDUM URGED. WAR AGAINST GAMBLING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 15, 18 July 1910, Page 7

REFERENDUM URGED. WAR AGAINST GAMBLING.

THE RACING MANIA. ' J "UNDEMOCRATIC, USELESS, 'AND* DANGEROUS HOBBY.'i A NATIONAL DEPUTATION. THE GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE. i

In a sunny spot, by an eastern corner o£ Parliament Buildings, about three hundred people assembled at noon today to hear a case urged against the gambling evil. Enemies of the bookmaker formed the vaßt majority of tho congregation, but the "profession" was represented in the closely-packed ranks on tho grass, and leading men of racing ' clubs were also an interested section .of ' the audience. The embassy had good claim to the term "national." There, were delegates from the chief centres of New Zealand and some of the parts between, and the personnel was commer- , cial aa well as clerical. Sir Joseph! Ward, aloft on steps that commanded! the gathering, could see Bishop Wa-llis and clergy of nearly every denominatibn, and men in working raiment as well aa broad-cloth. Members of Parliament; were plentiful, and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Massey) was conspicuous at a strategic point with a smile which seemed to indicate that he. was pleased, with the non-responsibility oft ' dealing with such an army. A sub-in-spector of police and four or five constables may have raised a suspicion that some disorder had been anticipated, but. tho police were merely peaceful marshals*-' of the troops which marched with stately steps and slow from the main entrance to the Prime Ministerial saluting base. Ladies wer© a feature of tho procession. Mr. J. G. W. Aitken, master- of cere-> monies for the occasion, flourished a* iormidable sheaf of papers which, ho submitted, represented the anti-gambling- < opinion of New Zealand. He also re- ' marked that an apology for absence had 1 -, been sent in by Archbishop Redwood. '. He had received a large number of' communications urging the need of reform. Principally they came from all Chambers of Commerce, also from the Trades and Labour Council, and mdi- • viduals throughout New Zealand. THE DEPUTATION'S CASE. The Rev. J. J. North, in stating the case for the deputation to the Premier, said : You are well versed in the manace to the wellbeing of this community offered by the gamhling mania. Your-.' refreshing statements to deputations and to the House ara green in our memories We have three things to say to you on. ' behalf of the nation— the first relates to ' the totalisator. For over a quarter- of aj. century this machine has been, inflicted on this nation. It has created a large • proportion of 250 race clubs, from which,' the country is suffering. It has mada us, probably, the most over-raced people on earth. It was legalised by nar-. < row majorities in Parliament, and onf, the distinct pledge that it would maker bookmakers as rare as the moa. We claim that the time has come for the people to say whether this State en- ' dowment of a vice, and of the hobby., of a handful of rich men, shall continue. We are here also to say emphatically that we do not want to prejudice our second plea by this question. If bookmakers and the totalisator lare put together to this Parliament it will probably mean victory for the racing fraternity. We ask for a referendum oa tho machine; we ask it as a national right. No 'Parliamentary vote cam be so satisfactory as the direct voice of th** 1 nation. EXECUTION OF THE BOOKMAKER Secondly, we are here to claim the immediate execution of the licensed bookmaker. New Zealand is the only country on earth which has given a legal status to these men, tho only country which has put them on an equality with carpenters, lawyers, politician*,, and ministers. It was done by sqcrot political intrigue. There was no voie« raised in the country in. their favour. A handful of politicians are directly rosponsible for the disgrace from which. New Zealand suffers. We are here to. demand, and the whole natioa is behind > us, that the Parliament which put him on us shall take him off at the earliest possible moment. Sir, we want to urge, on you as a democrat the absurdity of tho present position. There are, perhaps, two hundred well-to-do gentlefolk in this land who keep blood liorses as a hobby. It is a peculiarly useless hobby. The country would lone nothing material to its best interests if every blood horse were shot to-morrow. And the hobby is the direct occasion of a desolating vice which is threatening, all that is best in national life. Yet the hobby of tho^e two hundred well-to-do gentlemen is subsidised by tw^Acts of Parliament. They have 10 per cent, less Government tax on £2,000,000 which; goes through the machine. They have also the huge revenue "which comes from bookmakers' licenses. AIL this goes to subsidise the hobby of two hundred gentlemen who prefer horses to motor-cars or yachts. THE REFERENDUM. The endowment received from tha Dookmajcer is very substantial. Clause 34 gave, for instance, to the Auckland Racing Club £9600 a year in bookmakers' fees, and tho "tote" receipts are undiminished. That one club gets £27,000 in what is really a State grant and pays , Lhe same to a handful of owners who race thoroughbreds. Sir, the largest racing club south of the line — the Victoria Racing Clvb — draws less fcom bookmakers' fees, which are not imposed by the State, than tho Auckland Racing Club does. It got £8500 last y«ar, and no totalisator to help up its revenue. That ' is why we aro cursed to death with! gambling. The thing is endowed up to the hilt. Or, take the, case of Feild- ' ing, a little town at which you debate whether you will stop the mail train, rhe two schools of Feildintr cost £1779, but the State revenues for horse-racing is— totalisator £3849, bookmakers £119$ —a total of £5048, or three times as ?reat as the educational charges. The country wants immediate revision, of this undemocratic endowment of a useless and dangerous hobby. We want a national referendum on the "tot©" at the next election, and a bate majority clause, and we want at. once the dostruction of the bookmaker and a limitation of race days. Our third plea is that the war against the bookmaker extends to the cities aa ivell as to racecourses. The police do aot hold power enough to oblifeutfa street betting. It occurs everywhere. The anus of proof ought to be shifted on to :he shoulders or the defendant. The Dookmaker ought to be treated as tha aw treats idle and disorderly people. Sir, ono of our magistrates said that jvery one lies where liorses aro concerned. The nation was liqd to when .he "tote* 1 was introduced.' We were i?sured \i was to be the death of tho 'bookie." The nation was lied to when he "bookie" oame. We were a«cufed treel betting would eons-o. It has not ■eased. Bookmakers' touts call at shops actories, and houses ass regularly andh >penly as bakers or butchers. We urg» 'ou to give Legislature no test lilfcrou silence these mea finally.

BISHOP OF WELLINGTON. Bishop Walliswas the next speaker. They believed, be said, that they had public opinion on. their side, and he was mH'e they were all grateful to Sir Joseph Ward for tho attitude he had taken up on the subject. They all knew the great barm that resulted today from gambling, especially among man of small means. Gambling made men bad citizens, and in this connection ho -recited a case which came unlder hie notice, during the Boer War. He was in a railway train, when the fate of the Empire was travelling in the balance, and when the newspapers came along nine-tenths of the people turned |k*t to the war news, but to the racing column. (Applause.) , ~l OTHER VIEWS. ~Frofe99or Kirk, Victoria College, apjSealed for the abolition of bookmakers' licenses. The. lvoensing of bookmakers fcad removed one of .the restrictions jupon promiscuous gambling. Every day 'g&mbkng was becoming more wide._ A Bookmaker bad to extend his gambling. All licensed bookmakers .were not honourable. But for the clause licensing them, many woukl have been moved on ;&) more industrious callings. TO SCHOOL. BOYS. t."Mr. J. P. Firth, Principal of Wellington College, said the .case had been tiery fully put. Yet there., was just 1 one Uiing to which. h,e would call attention. R was very undesirable to tolerate a codling which would lead young men aiSto danger. He believed in lads being fifrb through a course of temptation, but to suppress the bookmaker and his tout was not to molly-coddle the boys, (gambling could not' be entirely abolished, therefore- the other side" said license Hie bookmakers. The downward course for the boy "should not be made less difficult. The difficulties in the way of tßs average boy were sufficiently great !»#£houfc the bookmaker. (Applause.; XiET THE ISSUES BE TESTED. -3VIr. John Hutcfoeson said it was not riSbessary "to adduce any arguments to £%x Jdseph/Ward on this subject. Their presence alone was necessary, and they were there in the fear that malign inflttenoe might be brought to bear to sidetrack their movement. They were there to ask the head of the Government to r^moVe those- temptations that had been ,p\A by the Government in tha way of the people, as the. police were powerless. •Ifa would prefer to see Parliament deal 'with the resolutions given notice of by S& Joseph Ward; let each member of iE^liaajent be tested on each of those issues. The bookmaker had to go, and ifC.the totalisator did not go, then it should be referred to the people for its opinion. At any rate, all would agree that th© number of race meetings should foa * reduced by about one-half. (Appftuse.) " : r PREMIER'S REPLY. -'In reply, -Sir Joseph Ward said he fully recognised the representative nature of the deputation which waited on him that day as head of the Government. Any one who had been watching the course of events must have realised that the time had approached when Parliament had to step in and control .what was growing to a large and alarming state of affairs. He was not amongst those who believed in horse-racing, but it 'was a sport "which the world over was supported by some of the best people in-the community. He had before him th« otKer day* a case of a man who was receiving £150 per year, and yet bet as-much as £400 with bookmakers in one- day. Scores and scores of cases of similar trouble had come under his notice. Gambling had brought about the ruin of these men, and he was impressed with the necessity of dealing with the whole position. It was for that reason that he had a few days ago tabled certain important resolutions in order that the Government •flight realise what the decision of the representatives of the people was upoii three important issues. He did not know what reason there was for believing that any one of these. issues mighi be prejudiced. AN INDEPENDENT VOTE. The vote as to whether or' not the bookmaker was to remain would be taken independently, and the Govern-ment-would bring- down legislation accordingly, and ask the House to put it through this session. (Applause.) The ,vote upon the extension, or otherwise, of the totalisator would be taken separately, and as the outcome of the decision of Parliament the Government .■would consider as to whether any further steps were necessary. The point did arise as to whether Parliament, iwhich was the master of the Government in the matter of legislation, should not have the question put to it as to whether or not the matter should be submitted to a referendum. He and his colleagues had been considering as to .whether that should not be submitted to Parliament this session. The issue as to whether race meetings and totalisator permits should be reduced by one half would be put separately to Parliament this session, and if that resolution was carried the necessary proposal would be embodied in the legislation submitted this session. BOOKMAKER. The position of the bookmaker as it atood to-day was the result of a process of evolution that had been going on in this country. The legislation of 1907 contained proposals of a very far-reach ing kind comuared with what existed previously. That legislation provided for the controlling of the bookmaker (among other's, ho believed Mr. Aitken voted for it), and it was believed that the evil would be minimised, or, at all events, removed from the everyday life pf the people in the towns and cities, and that by such means a great amount of the temptation would be removed. The 'result of the operation of that Act in the matter of the increase of bookmakers had undeniably been disappointing, „tp say the least of it, and the fact • remained -that from the respectable bookmakers — and there were some very respectable men among them in New Zealand — representations had been made only recently, urging that an alteration should be made in the law, in consequence of undesirable people coming into the ranks of the bookmakers, and whose inclusion had led to the outcry which was now being made — and rightly made •—against the system. THE GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE. "As far as the Government is concerned, we are sincere in submitting these Sroposals to Parliament," added Sir osftph Ward. "Personally, I recognise that* every member of the House has a right to do what he thinks proper. I am going to exercise my own vote in jje direction I have already publicly indicated. I propose to do so because I believe the only way in which you can impress" upon the people of this country the necessity for proper control, and the necessity for stamping out an evil, that IB growing in many families and becoming ' a canker, is by showing that public men, at least, are anxious to co-operate with those who want to stamp out the gambling evil so far as New Zealand is concerned." (Applause.) _ "I can 'only say, he remarked m conclusion, "that the Government proposes -to .submit these resolutions, and that will "be done', I hope, this week. Upon that decision will be submitted legislation which will be^put upon the statute book this session." The great deputation to the Premier to-day on the question of gambling had its hands strengthened by tho city and

suburban churches yesterday, when references were made and resolutions passed, urging the Government to introduce legislation to-repeal the Acts that make legal the* calling of the bookmaker. TO RENDER ANY FORM OF GAMBLING IMPOSSIBLE. [BI TELEGRAPH — PBESS ASSOCIATION.] NELSON, This Day. At various churches yesterday resolutions were passed "expressing great satisfaction at the prospect of the passing of legislation, dealing with the twin evils of the bookmaker and the tote, constituting as they have done a grave social and •moral evil. It was trusted that "the legislature will deal fearlessly and sweepingly with the matter and secure the speedy coming of the day when the law of the land shall render gambling in any form impossible."' ENDORSEMENT FROM WANGANUI. WANGANUI, This Day. The Chamber of Commercethis morn ing passed a resolution unanimously en dorsmg the action of the Council of Churches in endeavouring to minimise gambling, and expressing the opinion that the Government should be urged to~ pass legislation which' will do away with, the legalising of bookmakers.