Betting

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22891, 10 March 1949, Page 6

Betting

RACING CONFERENCE

“THOSE who want to see the sport of racing develop to an even higher standard than it enjoys today will be gratified at the result of the poll,” said Mr, W. Claud Motion, vice-president of the New Zealand Racing Conference, in Wellington last night, “The result indicates that the majority of the people In this country appreciate the need for some effort to be made to remedy the state of affairs which for so many years has been an open disgrace. They have said in definite terms that they object to the illegal bookmaker and the system of ofT-course betting which is carried on through him. It is clear direction to the Government that off-course betting must be diverted from illegal channels to a legal method of investment on the totalisator. “In anticipation of Parliament putting into effect the wishes of the people the Racing and Trotting Conferences can now proceed with all the vast initial preparation which will be necessary before the scheme can be put into effective operation. “We have never pretended lhat the organisation can be developed at once. There is much to be done. “It is proposed to establish totalisator agencies in the major towns in the first instance and in due time the New Zealand coverage will he com-

plete. JL. “I would ask the people to be a patient with us and to appreciate that before any concrete proposal towards setting up the actual organisation can be put into effect we must know what right and powers Parliament will give

us. "The public will be kept fully informed of developments, and off-course bettors, no matter where they reside in

New Zealand, can look forward to the day when their requirements will be

fully catered for.”—P.A.

ASSOCIATED

CHURCHES

“IT APPEARS that the country has responded admirably to the appeal to vote, but in voting the way it has on the gaming issue it has taken a retrograde step, which, we fear, will lead to more gambling.” This was the comment of the Rev. J. S. Somerville, Wellington, speaking for the Associated Churches in Wellington last night on yesterday's polling when the trend of the voting appeared to he well established. “A lot of people voted the way they did,” Mr. Somerville continued, “because they were sick of the bookmaker and because of the promise of the Racing and Trotting Conferences in their propaganda that bookmaking would be eliminated. “As the scheme appears to be carried we expect the authorities to deal

with bookmaking and to stamp it out ruthlessly. For example, they should implement the Royal Commission's recommendation to the effect that the law be given an opportunity under certain circumstances to presume that telephones were being used for hookmaking purposes. “We can assure the authorities that were would he behind them ;f, as we think they should, they used every means in their power to eliminate the bookmaker. "There is no unholy alliance ,as has been suggested, between the Associated Churches and the bookmakers. "In any case, we will be watchful of the scheme proposed. The people voted for it because they thought it sounded a good thing. The job of the country now will be to make sure it is as good as possible. “We consider that this vote constitutes a challenge to the moral, social and economic standards of the country and also a call to the churches to examine their own work and effectiveness.

"The Associated Churches,'’ Mr. Somerville concluded, “were mainly concerned with the gaming issue, but the result of the licensing poll looks pretty satisfactory from our point of view.” -P.A.

MR. C. M. BOWDEN, member of Parliament for Karori, has been nominated unopposed as the National Party candidate for the electorate for the general election.