BOOKMAKER OR TOTALISATOR?

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3346, 12 October 1911, Page 5

BOOKMAKER OR TOTALISATOR?

A FIGHT TO A FINISH. SIR JOHN FINDLAY ON CLEAN * SPORT. [.SPECIAL TO TIMES.} AUCKLAND, Oct. 11. Sir John Findlay had something interesting to say last evening at Remuera, upon the racing question. The matter came up:in the form of a query from an elector present, who wanted to know what the Minister thought of the action of the Auckland Racing Club in refusing to allow respectable men on the course at Ellerslie because tliey had at one time been bookmakers or bookmakers’ clerks? Sir John said lie was not sorry the question had been asked. When the Gaming Act was placed on the Statute Book it became his duty, as a Minister, to administer the law; and he had tried to carry out that administration as fairly as possible. Previous to the Act of 1910 the existing legislation permitted the licensing of bookmakers, and ho had taken the stand that it was the duty of the racing clubs to carry out the spirit of the law to bookmakers upon payment of certain fees. 'When he spoke of the spirit of the law, lie referred particularly to that portion of it which stipulated that such licenses should, only be issued to “fit and proper persons,” hut the racing clubs had deliberately tried to bring that legislation into discredit by admitting anyone to the course without due regard to the character of the person applying for a bookmaker's license. It was clearly a fight between those who wanted the totalisator and those who wanted 1 the bookmaker. When last year’s amending legislation was before Parliament he was told that he was the champion and the protector of the bookmaker in New Zealand. He said then that he thought they should end the whole fight between the bookmaker and the tote, and now that the legislation was on the Statute Book he was prepared to stand by it. If an ex-bookmaker sought to exercise the rights of a decent citizen and attend a race meeting, lie thought that the man had 1 a- perfect right to doi so (applause.) He was not against the abolition of the totalisator, and never had been, but he was onuosed to the evils which were to be found associated with racing. There was no stronger advocate of clean sport than himself, and at the same time no stronger opponent of the evils which had grown up in the spheres of sport (applause).