THE AUCKLAND RAID.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 86, 11 April 1912, Page 3

THE AUCKLAND RAID.

PROSECUTIONS ADJOURNED. AUCKLAND, 10th April. It was quite obvious when the time fox* the sitting of the Police Court drew near this morning that, "something unusual was happening. 'A largo number of persons, mostly young men, assembled iv the precincts of tho building and inside the Courthouse, and, at half-past 10, the fepa-ce reserved for the public was a* solid w§dgo of humanity. Tho cause of tim departure from the" normal state of affairs was>, of ''oursc. tho fact that a large crowd of persons who were the victim's of yesterday's police raid on alleged gambling shops were to bo hakd before the magistrate to explain the why and the wherefore of their presence on the premises. It had been hoped by the expectant onlookers that tho cases would be heard | : in tho morning, but this was not to be. ! The- usual busineee n'as exceptionally heavy, and occupied all the forenoon and paii of the afternoon, with the result that thcee who had looked forward to hearing the gambling charges wont away afc the luncheon adjournment. They, however, assembled in strong force again in the afternoon, when the cases were proceeded with. Mr. F. V. Fraser, S.M., wason the Bench. When the Cist of the cases was called, Sub-Inspector Hendry intimated that ho woidd apply for all the charges to be adjourned until 18th April. Tho magistrate granted the application, and bail was fixed, in the case of the principals, in Bums of £200 and sureties of £100 each. In the case of those who had merely visited the premises, it was again fized at£lo. The police have not confined their efforts solely to raiding the * alleged gaining houses. For somo weeks past it is understood that they have been engaged in seeking evidence with the objpet of proceeding against alleged bookmakers m the city. The great difficulty in putting a stop to illegal betting has been the matter of , obtaining sufficient evidence to secure convictionß. It is now asserted that the police have dragged nearly all, if not all, of the alleged bookmakers operating in the city into their net, and have gathered sufficient evidence to warrant them ia taking proceedings against a number. These will be proceeded against by summons, and in " due course they will appear" 'before the magistrate. ' ' "