THE GAMING BILL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 26, 30 July 1924, Page 11

THE GAMING BILL

INTRODUCTION PREVENTED

PROMISE OF OPPOSITION

LABOUR AND MR, ISITT.

Labour members of the House of Representatives and Mr. L. M. Isitt spent a good deal of yesterday afternoon discusinsg the Gaming Bill, which has been prepared by the Government this session. The measure may have been amended since it was presented in the closing stages of last session, but on the assumption.that it has not been altered members of the House had a good deal to say' about its supposed provisions and upon gaining and racing generally.

Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) said ho would, like to know whether the Mill-provided for' certn-h; anomalies that existed in the racing world to-day. IT a hoped the Bill contained necessur'v provisions in regard to jockeys, and'that it met points that were raised last year. Ihere seemed to be something wrong with the question of representation on the Racing Conference. More information as to what was proposed should be given to the House, which should not be called upon to decide things in the dark. A Committee of the House should be set up to take evidence. The public had a right to consideration, and there should be some better means than a blackboard on a racecourse to denote what overweight a horse was to carry. Race books did not always contain the proper information, and the.public was thereby misled. Would the Government state that provision was going to "be made to protect the people against that sort of thing? If they did not do so. then serious opposition would be offered to the "ill. Racing should be made clean and above board. ■A'LAW UNTO ITSELF. Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) considered that the Racing Conference, being a law unto itself, was a state of affairs which should not be tolerated for five minutes. It, seemed that the conference was above the ordinary. law of the country. Another matter that needed attention was the 6st 71b minimum. "We have Dr. Truby King and the Phinket Society trying to build up a healthy race of children in this country," said Mr: Savage, "and on the other hand we have the racing world trying to get human beings down to impossible weights in their, infancy—aye, in their manhood." The Government and Parliament should sco that racing was carried on under decent, healthy, and safe conditions. In dividing up the fields, the racing authorities should consider the width and circumference of the courses. Racing was said to be carried on to improve the breed of horses, but why should they not do something to improve the physical standard of the men engaged in the calling. There should be nothing less than a 7st 61b minimum.

Mr. J. A. Lee (Auckland East) was opposed to racing ■ clubs being allowed to- have more Saturdays, and holidays such as Labour Day, devoted to races. Racing- clubs were supposed to be working in tho interests of sport. That being the case, lie would like to see a certain percentage, of the totalisator receipts handed over to athletic clubs. Racing should not be allowed to disorganise others forms of sport. It was once said that racing should be encouraged in order to improve the breed of horses, but that reason seemed' to have gone overboard now. The public should be given some .voice in tho control of racing.

ALL THE CARDS' ON THE TABLE. \- "We have got some little plums which we are going to bring out of the box. and, unless the Minister is prepared to lay fill the cards on the table it is goin" to raise one of the most contentious nw£ ters that lias been raised in this House for some time," declared Mr. F. Langstone (Waimarino). Was there another country in the world which had two detective forces? The Eacing Conference employed a highly-paid detective staff. .High salaries wore lying paid to men engaged in, the racinfe business, and yet the racing authorities wanted remissions in taxation. Thcro was a skeleton in the racing cupboard, and not all the ilesh was off its bones either. "Some of it is stinking in tlio nostrils of the people of Aew Zealand," remarked Mr. Laii»stone, who said that the question of redistribution of permits required attention. The racing club magnates had increased the stakes to avoid paying higher taxation. "Yes, Mr. Speaker," added Mr. Langslone, "they are always trying to dip their hand more and more into the public purse." He also urged that the minimum in regard to weights should be raised. Other sports were not carried on for gambling purposes. The racing people had a lot of sin's to answer, and he would have a number of questions to ask. He intended to get an answer, and trusted that the information he had received was wrong. „ Mr. A. L. Monteith•(Wellington East) said racing clubs should bo compelled to have proper appliances on racecourses for killing horses that hftd been injured. Better medical attention should also be provided. The Bill 'should give jockeys the ■ right of representation on apoeal committees. It was regrettable tliat there was no 7st minimum. Six-furlong "squibs" were no jjond k> any emtntrv-

Mr. R. M'Keen (Wellington South) $akl he 'hoped the BilL would take the control of racing out of the hands of the Racing Conference, which he described us one of the most autocratic bodies, in the Dominion. Ho deprecated tho fact that the jockeys, who were those most affected by racing, ■wore debarred from having -representation ;it the Racing Conference, and ho denounced the anomaly whereby, when a horse was scratched, investors on the totalisator were prevented from getting their money back. Mr. M'Keen spoke in conclusion of the necessity for safeguarding the interests of the public on the racecourse.

Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) said Labour was demanding better means of carrying on racing in the interests of (.lie men engaged in the calling. He was hot a "kill joy," but did not want to hog New Zealand "racing mad" like .Sydney, where they were racing everything on four legs,_except billy goats. Uie facilities for racing should not be increased in the Dominion. MR, ISITT'S OPPOSITION. Mr.'L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) s.iid_he would never tire of reminding the Prime Minister that at a time when tno investments on the totalisator were two and a quarter .million pounds instead of ten million pounds per year, he had declared there was too much gambling gon, s on ;„ the Dominion A voico : "He is an older man now " Jlr. Alasscy, Hr. Isilt said, had declared htmseU at that time as strongly »■ favour of a dcweMo in the number of pernuls, and had said he was not sine lie would not vrite 'ii-ainst thr. Intnlw.lor Not only dhC |.|, n Vnxxut -Ministrr 1,.-ilk O i. those lines, I,nl. also member aCI-rr membov ul' ti,o JTohsi':i'-;'.". i:tl»'11 lHv uo-.v turn around a.w\juatuy jvlwl they- bad grevioualy con:

demned? It was extraordinary that the Government now sought to increase the number of permits, and to support a thing they had previously frowned upon. Christchurch had far too many racing permits for the good of the people, and he was not afraid to ask that some of them should be given to districts which wore panting for them. Mr. G. Forbes (Hurunui) : "How many would you leave?" Mr. Isitt : "I would leave just as few as I could get the Government to grant." It would be a good idea to set up another Commission for the purpose of removing permits from centres which had too many to the country districts—not that he thought the country districts would benefit. He hoped the Government would not increase the number of permita, and that there would be no lifting of the restriction on the publication of racing odds. No man could contend that the publication of betting odds would , not increase gambling in the Dominion. The Government snould insist that the practice of using the telegraphs for betting purposes should cease. It was mere subterfuge to say that it was difficult to detect who was using the wires for betting purposes, and that the illegal use of the telegraph wire and telephone could not be overcame. Mr. Isitt said he wanted to see better protection for jockeys and improved supervision of racecourses. Far too big a. proportion of the sum realised by taxation on racing went in support of the racing clubs. If the measure was persisted in by the Government, he hoped the House would rise against it.

The discussion was interrupted by the S.3oadjournment, a ,,d the introduction of the Bill was thus prevented