CHINESE GAMBLING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 156, 22 August 1904, Page 1

CHINESE GAMBLING.

VIEWS OF THE POLICE. (From Our Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. Some interesting evidence on tne . subject of gambling is contained in the statement by Inspector lj.ilis.on ' to a Committee of the Mouse during the consideration of a petition praying that more drastic i::on! : ii.>s 1 be taken for the .suppression of ' gambling. The petition and the evidence were referred to the Govern ment for favourable considera--1 tion. In regard to opium, lnspec- , tor Ellison said there is Very little i opium smoking going on, and J thore had j bpen very little of it in Wellin o fc n for a ! long timo past Re thought that tha { fines which had been inflicted wore Buffi- { cienb to prevent a continuation of tho i practice. Tho existing law gives the police power to enter Chineße promises I whore opium smoking is suspected, and i that law has been Aiken adantage iof by the polico. GamL.iog, he ffjat on ' to say, in various forms res carriod on . very mach by Chinamen in all parts of Now Zealand where the Chinese collect. It seems to be about the only recieation tliey had, and in hiH opinion the really objectionablo feature was where European young men or old men take part iv it. He thought the only game that ; Europeans take much part in is pakapu,. which is really a lottery pure and Bimple, ' Fan Tan was carried on principally among themselves. The latv had been found to be defectire in casos whioh had boen taken before the Supreme Court. Ho did not think pakapu would bo carried on to any harmful oxtent wore it not for the support it roceived from Europoans He thought tho easiest waiy to check it would bo to make it an offence for a European to frequent Chinese quarters where any such gamo is carried on, or where tickets aro sold or lotteries carriod on. He did not think tliat tlio playing of dominoes or oven Fantun amoDg tho Chinese themselves would be r roductiva much harm. Tho suppression of such games wouid probably cuii6o an outbreak of evil in Borne other d rection, because human nature must havo some kind of a safety valve or a moans of relieving the energies, and if it was not dono in ono way it would bo in another. Ho thought it would be as hard to stop such recroa tion among the Clnnoso as to stop ivh:st and other games amongst Europeans. Hd thaught tho gaming propensities of our own people in private houses wa3 just about tlie same as tvith the Chinese. He could not make any d stinction between the two habits, but ho was decidedly of opinion tliat it was bad for young men. middle-aged mon, and old mon to gamble with the Chinese for the piirposo of indulginsr in gambl ng of any description. Ho thought if it woro made ponal for such persons to be found o i such premises without lawful excuse it would remedy a great deal of the harm which is done. Inspector Ellison went on to say tbnt tho best way to deal with men who visited the Chinese quarters to invost their money in the lotteries would bo to amend the lasvs so that th<*>y could be charged with vagrancy if they frequented such places. Tlie pakapu bank was run in Wellngton by a Chno3e syndicate, who wero living on tlie profits. 'Ihero wore 22 or 24 agents for tho salo of tickets, -and they lived out of tho commissions they got.