IN SUBSTANTIAL WAY

Evening Star, Issue 22896, 2 March 1938, Page 10

IN SUBSTANTIAL WAY

BOOKMAKER BEFORE COURT FINE OF £75 “ The facts placed before the court show that the accused has a wide connection, and that he has been carrying on a substantial bookmaking business,” said .the magistrate (Mr J. R. Bartholomew), in respect of' Samuel Hartley! who pleaded guilty in the Police Court to-day to a charge of carrying on the occupation of a bookmaker, on February 26, at Dunedin. Detective-sergeant T. Y. Hall prosecuted, and the accused was represented by Mr G. M. Lloyd. Mr Hall said that on February 26 Detective Gibson and he executed a search warrant at the premises of the accused in Highgate. A large quantity of betting material was found. For the Gore meeting, 137 bets to a value of £9B 10s had been taken, 26 bets were taken for the Wanganui races to a value ot £l6 17s 6d, there were 76 bets on the Te Ardha meeting to a value of £35; and eight bets on the Wairarapa trots totalled £3. While in the house Detective Gibson took eight bets over the telephone to a value of £ll 10s, Mr Hall added, and altogether 251 bets were' made on that day, the total amount of betting up till 2 p.m. being £l7O 15s. If this had gone through the totalisator the Government and racecourses would have benefited in taxation to the extent ot £29 These meetings were not metropolitan meetings, bufi were known in racing circles as secondary meetings. , “My information is that the accused is a bookmaker in a substantial way,” Detective-sergeant Hall concluded.

Mr Lloyd was quiok to assure the court that the accused was not of independent means or a wealthy man by any means at all. For some years he carried on as proprietor of a boarding house, and admittedly he had augmented his income by carrying on as a bookmaker. He was a married man, a returned soldier, and a creditable citizen ' This was his first offehce* of any kind. „ , “Though this is the accused s first offence, in view of the facts a substantial penslty must be imposed,’ said the Magistrate in fixing a fine of £is. The accused was permitted to pay £-o forthwith, a month being allowed lor payment of the remainder.