The Hawera Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER, 8, 1928 INCREASED TOTALISATOR FACILITIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 8 September 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER, 8, 1928 INCREASED TOTALISATOR FACILITIES.

Delivered every evenlnE by 6 o'olook la tfawera Manaio. Sormanby, Okaiawa, Eltham. Mangutoki. Kaponsa, Alton, TTurleyyllle Patea. Waverlev. Mo_ola, Whakamara. Ohansai, Meremere. Prase! Road, and Ararata.

In 'Ms plea for an amendment iof (the gaming laws in "the direction of permitting the telegraphing of bets to total isators, the president of the Hawke’s Bay Trotting Club makes an appeal to commonsense. His argument in favour of this reform contains nothing that has not been said before, .but | it carries weight by the simple statement of the present position in regard to betting. Mr -Ebbctt acknowledges that many people who oppose the extension of facilities for totalisator betting do so in the honest belief that they are at the same time restricting all betting. If their contention: were true, we would not, for our part, have anything to say in favour of the applies,- ! tion for telegraphic facilities for bettors; but it is not necessary to be an enthusiast in the cause of racecourse gambling to perceive the lack of reason and knowledge which lies behind the opposition invariably offered to any move for amendment of the law which prohibits the use of the telegraph office for the laying of bets' and the publication in the Press of the amounts of dividends returned by winning horses through the State-sanctioned agency, the totalisator. Between the section of the public which advocates a greater measure of freedom in this respect and the section which opposes it, lies a gulf which so far no amount of reasonable argument has been able to bridge, with the result that a situation exists in regard to racecourse gambling unsatisfactory to everybody but the bookmaker. Those who discountenance racecourse betting in every shape and form have generally refused to admit that there is sound commonsense in the arguments of those who have advocated the adoption of the “telegraphic tote,’’ preferring to believe that the latter have been actuated by no higher motive than a desire to enrich the coffers of the racing and 'trotting clubs. It would- be reasonable to suppose that since the passing of the legislation which placed the bookmaker outside the law, our courts had provided sufficient evidence to satisfy anyone that gambling does go on in places far distant from race meetings. Mr Ebbctt said, in the course of his speech at. Hastings last night, that the cities in the Dominion “swarmed’’ with bookmakers, that every hamlet in New Zealand had its bookmaker, and that large establishments employing numbers of men were .provided by “private enterprise’’ with facilities for making a bet on the results of boTse races. This is hardly an exaggeration of the true position as it is known, to many thousands of people outside the ranks of racing organisations and of the police. If the cities and larger towns do not “swarm” with the bookmaking fraternity, they certainly do shelter many of its representatives, ranging from the large-scale operator and his agents to •the small man who makes up a “book” on the ,humble contributions of “silver investors.” If it is a fact that, those who oppose an increase in the legal channels for betting know that this state of affairs exists 1 , it is difficult to| understand their maintenance of an attitude which forces the “trade” into

the hands of the bookmaker; if they are no-t. aware of the true position, or, 'being informed, refuse .to (believe it is a true statement, their opinions are not really of value. There are doubtless some 'among their number who hope that the 'day will come when there will

.be no gambling' on the result® of horse races, but it is to feared that idealists of that- type cam contribute nothing useful to tbe movement for the improved control of betting—a movement which is at present obstructed by a refusal on the part of the public to look fact. 4 in the face and a timidity on the part of our 'legislators who, knowing the facts, are fearful of .the political consequences of a bold tackling of the subject.