LAYING THE ODDS RABBIT FEVER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 December 1924, Page 5

LAYING THE ODDS

RABBIT FEVER.

ACTIVITY OF POLICE. TRAPPING THE “BIG MEN.” _ j ALMOST AN IMPOSSIBILITY. In the course of the past year provisions of the Gaming Act have been, rigorously enforced by the police, and many bookmakers wno had been carrying on in a fairly big way of business have been brought before the court at different times and heavily fined. ( This very pronounced activity by the law in regard to. the “layers of odds” was to-day, commented on by the Commissioner of Police (Mr A. H. Wright, who made some interesting observations on the question of bookmakers and the Act.

(By Telegraph.—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 30. The police, remarked the Commissioner, were always ready to prosecute when the evidence was available, but there was always a great difficulty in ‘‘fitting ,, suspected persons. It was always a task, in a case in which a man was charged with carrying on business as a bookmaker to find competent witnesses who were willing to give evidence on behalf of the Crown, and often the police . had to fight against public feeling. Everyone knew ■ that, despite the law, there were many bookmakers carrying on business in quite an extensive manner, and it was almost futile to talk about the suppression of the bookmaker. Men would bet on almost anything, and where there were men there would certainly 1 be bookmakers. On many occasions the police have been adversely criticised for not taking proceedings against the class of bookmaker generally known as “the big man,” and current gossip has often _ insinuated that there was more in this than meets the eye. On this point the Commissioner had "something definite to« say. “It is all very welt, to say ‘catch them,’ ” he - laughingly’ remarked, “but the point is that they generally refuse to be caught. • /Efforts have been made time and again to obtain evidence against some of the big firms, but their methods are usually too business-like. They won’t be caught. What’s the use of sending along a policeman, or anyone else for that matter, 'to make a bet with one of the big bookmakers in this town. He’d simply profess his ignorance as to- what in the world the client was talking about, and we would still be no further towards bringing him to court.” ’ Of course, said the Commissioner, by prosecuting as many as possible of the smaller bookmakers one could be always ’ sure of catching several men who were acting in the capacity of agents for the big firms iV but the. principles could not in any circumstances be persuaded to make bets with anyone outside of their recognised clients, and all risk with newly-acquired and “doubtful” custom was .taken by the agent. The big men who were at the head of operations merely sat hack in and drew the money which was forthcoming from the activities of their agents.

NEW DISEASE DISCOVERED. BY CABLE—PRESS ; ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. WASHINGTON, Dec. 28. Dr. Edward Francis, of. the United states 1 public health service, announces that the American Association for" the Advancement of Science is meeting here ; shortly, and will discuss the newly determined "disease tularaemia or rabbit fever, being the last of the known diseases attacking mankind discovered within the past fifteen years. ..

/The malady is essentially, a rabbit affliction, but attacks, (Sometimes with fatal results, human beings. A fly or tick,' which sucks blood from an infected animal, - may carry . fever to man, who may also contract it by cleaning game. Tularaemia is- already ■active in twelve western, - mid-western and southern States, and has been introduced in several eastern States in the past few months. ' American physicians who attempted to _ study ‘ the disease have been stricken with fever,, although no cases were fatal. Dr. Francis says British physicians have given up experiments with the new ailment on the grounds of discretion’ after the entire personnel of one London laboratory became ill from- dealing with infected rabbits sent from South America. Dr. Francis points out that the general, prevalence of tularaemia is not known owing to its incorrect diagnosis as septic infection, typhoid fever or anthrax. He indicates that the disease cannot be contracted through eating cooked rabbit,- although freshly infected meat while being prepared for •culinary purposes can transmit the virus.