GAMING BILL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 28, 1 August 1929, Page 14

GAMING BILL

MINISTERS' PROTEST

LIMITED DISCUSSION

GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE

A strong protest against the provisions of the Gaming Amendment Bill, which has been introduced into the House of Representatives by the mem ber for Waipawa (Sir George Hunter), was made to the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) to-day by a deputation representing tho Wellington Ministers' Association. The depu tation asked that the Prime iMiuister should limit the time that the House would devote to the measure. While de eiining to commit himself, the Prime Minist6r said the representations'of the deputation would receive the serious consideration of Cabinet, and the attitude to be taken up by the Government would be announced in the House when the Bill came up for consideration. The principal spokesman for the deputation was the Rev. P. E. Harry •'We approach you with some measure of confidence, realising that you have no sympathy with the spread of the gam bling habit in the Dominion," he said "You have throughout your public life recognised that the whole fabric of our social life rests upon the determination to be honest with one another! Straight forwardness, integrity, and mutual re spect constitute our social duty. It is admitted that there is no greater disintegrating force in society than that meanest of passions, gambling. The man who is out after money without earning it 6hould be watched, for he is a social menace, so selfish in his ideals that ho is on the high road to beggary or embezzlement. Some time ago a well-known Auckland Magistrate read out in Court a list of postal officials, telegraphists, clerks, policemen, and other public servants, men who were above the average physically and men tally, who had been convicted of various crimes through betting. Such cases in recent years, ho asserted, had aver aged about one a day. This 'mug's game' of betting is so utterly childish that one marvels how intelligent men practise it. It is a sorry wastage of economic resources, it poisons sport, it disturbs home life, and its effect upon personal character is that of rapid deterioration.

"During the past few weeks, the racing clubs, through their agent, the Sports Protection League, have present ed Parliament with petitions containing tho names of a few thousand people who want the House to pass Sir George Hunter's Gaming Amendment Bill. We represent the churches of the Dominion. We have sent in no formal petition to tho Legislature, but we make bold to say that every member has received an urgent protest against this retrograde measure from scores of his constituents. In many cases whole congregations at their Sunday services havo stood to sig nify their detestation of this proposal. It is no exaggeration to say that thero are hundreds of thousands of people in this Dominion diametrically opposed to tho passing of this measure.

As churches, we desiro to express our astonishment that a member of your Ministry has deemed it wise to speak repeatedly of this mensuro as likely to reach tho Statute Books; in fact, his advocacy among racing clubs has created a spirit of strong resentment in tho minds of thousands of earnest people. We feel sure that ho had not the Prime Minister and

tho Cabinet behind him in his unwise

assertion and propaganda. 'UNWARRANTABLE IMPUDENCE"

"May we congratulate you upon the stand you have always taken in this matter. Two years ago, when the Gaming Amendment Bill was before the House, you spoko in the most explicit and determined way against it, refer ring to the fact that, whilst you were in charge of the Post and Telegraph Department, you had soon so much mischief wrought through tho telegraphing of bets that you could never vote for a wise restriction as that now existing to bo romoved. Now that there are more race days, and tho totalisator is iv greater use than ever, we believe that your opposition will bo tho more determined. The Telegraph Department is a great public utility, and it belongs to all of us. We have, therefore, a perfect right to ask that what bolongs to tbo whole community should not be exploited by one section of tho pooplo for entirely selfish ends. We. regard it as a piece oft absolute and unwarrantable impudence for the racing clubs to ask that the Telegraph Department should be used to foster a national vice in order-that their coffers may be filled. Wo have over 300 race clays in tho year—more than England has with thirty times the population. Tho promoters of this Bill think that the public will pay anything for the privilege of betting. 'Already tho totalisator takes 2s lid out of every pound invested in it, and the racing clubs want tho public to spend another two shillings at least, in a money-order wire, without any guarantee that it will bo delivered in time to bo of any use. And you yourself know, from what you have told us, of tho frauds to which young people arc tempted in tho Department itself. It is truly a diabolical proposal that our splendid Telegraph Department should be made an agent of tho totalisator. "PERNICIOUS BUSINESS." ' "Apart from this aspect of the case, there aro other evils likely to arise. A wire might arrive on the course just after a horse had lost. They toll us that tho money will be refunded; but it won't be difficult for someone to lind tickets on a losing horse. No one trusts a gambler, or anyone connected with this pernicious business. We know, of course, that the promoters of this Bill argue that, by it, the bookmaker will bo eliminated; but anybody with any knowledge of human nature knows that that is utter rubbish. Jt will create a bookmaker in overy workshop, factory, md office—for no one in his souses imagines that a boy or a-nuni will n- 0 to tho expense and uncertainty of°a money-order wire to a racecourse when ho can bet with a bookmaker near at hand. At tho present, time, the Gaming Act prohibits anyone under twonty-ono investing in tho totalisator, but if it becomes lawful to telegraph bets to racecourses how can a racing club official tell whether a' wire has come from a man of GO or a boy of 16? As churches, attempting to safeguard the morals of the community, we maw-el'that there are any politicians so morally obtuse as to advocato. this measure. We feel that tho removal of the restrictions already existing will cause trouble in homes, embezzlements in Post Offices, and mischief everywhere. Tho only people likely to bnefit aro the raciimclubs, whose only craving is for more money, oven if the cost be the degradation of the nation. We speak strongly because we feel strongly on this vital issue. CHURCH AND BOOKMAKERS. "It is said that, in this respect, tho churches are in unholy association with bookmakers; but a littio bit of commonsonso on the part of our accusers would show how silly this gibo is, for the supporters of this Bill aro out to increase Rambling through the totalisator. That, is their solo purpose. Were the book' makers, who are well-known to tho authorities, gaoled without the option of a fine, ancl their clients prosecuted (as they wore iv Christehureh) they Would bo more speedily got rid of. We are out against gambling in every form

and wo consider that this Bill, if passed, will not only largely increase the habit (which is what the racing clubs desire) but also produce a serious crop of crimes.

"There is ono thing, Sir, that we ask you to do, knowing that wo have your sympathy. The Order Paper is in your hands. This is a private member's Bill, calculated to benefit a few and injure many. We ask that you will strictly limit the time for its discussion, say, to half an hour, or half a day. Membrs are not sent to the House to remove wise restrictions to existing Acts, but to promote the well-being of the people. The restrictions to the Gaming Act were placed there by wise men. They have worked satisfactorily, and it is only greed which prompts their removal; and we ask you, Sir, to exercise your authority and show that the Racing Conference does not govern New Zealand." A FATAL FACILITY. In supporting tho case made out by Mr. Harry, the Rev. J. X," Blanchard representing the Presbyterian Church, said they considered that gambling was wrong in principle and practice, both morally and economically. The fatal facility which gambling had for going from bad to worse was implicitly rejcognised in the legislation which gov■erned it. Such legislation should aim rather at curbing tho ramifications of gambling than at giving it wider facili ties. Tho promoters'of the Bill claimod that the measure would make gambling less of an evil than it was at prosent, but they were convinced that the Bill would make gambling a greater evil than it was at' present. Tho promoters of the measure were quite frank in admitting that the publication of dividends would encourage people to increase their betting operations on the totalisator and that it would draw money away from tho bookmakers. The deputation agreed that totalisator investments would increase with the publication of dividends, but it was also hold that the receipts of bookmakers would not decrease at all. There was an old saying that one could always get money for "booze and betting," but the question was where was the money to come from. Ho submitted that it would bo the small tradesman who would suffer. People would go <to any lengths to get money for gambling, and the door would be opened wider for embezzlement. It was claimed by the promoters of the Bill that if the bookmakers could circulate the news of dividends that right should not be denied legal channels, but surely no section of tho community should be allowed to do what law-breakers were doing. Tho Legislature should concentrate on making the penalty for breaches of the law more severe. Mr. Blanehard said he had noticed that the Hon. P. A. do la Perrelle had pointed out that Now Zealand dividends were published in Australia, and he regarded that as an anomaly. Surely the publication of New Zealand dividends in Australia was small reason why the practice should be followed hi New Zealand. The speaker referred to the gambling craze in Australia, whore bookmakers worked alongside' tho total-, isator. and expressed the hope that New Zealand would be saved from anything of that kind. New Zealand gaming legislation was far ahead of that of any other country, and thoy wauted it to remain on its present high level. They should hesitate before they took what would undoubtedly bo a retrograde step. If the Gaming Bill were passed it could bo taken that the bookmakers would make a strong counter move. CONSIDERATION BY CABINET. Repling to the deputation tho Prime Minister said that the matter was a very important one. Ho was pleased to have the views of the deputation, and he would place them before his colleagues and the Government would decide upon the attitude it would adopt in connection with the Gaming Bill. He recognised that tho matter was one of very far-reaching importance, and he recognised that there was a very strong movement to amend the law. Cabinet had not yet considered the matter, for they were waiting for developments, and those developments were showing themselves in the House of Representatives at the present time. Before the Bill was dealt with in the House, the representations made by the various parties would bo most carefully considered. Ho did not want to deal with any particular aspect of the question at tho moment, and he could only promise that tho representations of such an important deputation would not be. overlooked. It was unnecessary for him to toll the deputation that tho question was a most ticklish one. Ho had had representations made to him from all sections of the community, and so far he had not committed himself one way or the other. Tho Prime Minister said he did ilot know what the feeling of the Houso was in connection with the Bill, but so far as the Government was concerned its altitude would bo plainly stated in the Houso at tho proper time.