THE SPELL OF THE TOTALISATOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13273, 4 September 1906, Page 5

THE SPELL OF THE TOTALISATOR.

SPEECH BY MR. ELL, M.H.R.

[j!Y TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] \ Wellington, Monday. Discussing the evils of gambling in a publicaddress yesterday, Mr. H. G. Ell, M.H.R., vigorously denounced the totalisator. He declared that women had fallen under the spell of the " machine," and the provision of a private entrance " for women only" to a totalisator was, an everlaisting disgrace to the Canterbury Jockey Club. While . the Statute Book was replete with repressive measures against gambling, the evil was being deliberately maintained, so that the State might make a profit to the extent of £21,000 a year. The State should be consistent, and suppress the totalisator along with other gambling schemes that had been banned. In; the public telegraph office ait ' Christchurch he had seen & notice, stating that a public telegraph office was to be opened at a certain time on the Takapuna racecourse, and he submitted that by this procedure the Government was practically converting the public telegraph office into " public tote shops." Not only should the Government prohibit the sending of money through the Post Office to Tatfcersatll's, but no bets should be transmissible over the colony's telegraph lines. .. ■ EMPLOYMENT OF v EXPERTS SUGGESTED. [BY TELEGRAPH. — OWN" CORRESPONDENT.] Di'NEDiN, Monday. Speaking at the annual meeting of. the Tahuna Park Trotting Club, the president (Mr. S. S. Myers), in referring to the totalisator question, asked if the machine was controlled in the interests of the public as it should be. The Government received about £25,000 a year from it. It cost them nothing to collect this money, and they did absolutely nothing for it. Per-. sonally, he thought the totalisators were carried on in an honest, fair way, but that was not the opinion of a large section of the public. They had their inspectors of all kinds, why should not the Government employ Government totalisator experts, whose duty it would be to see that the working of the machines was carried on, properly and in the interests of the public, to check dividends, and see that no investment was made after the horses had started. If his suggestions were adopted it would restore confidence, and be advantageous to all concerned.