GAMBLING IN HOTELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14386, 3 June 1910, Page 6

GAMBLING IN HOTELS.

A MAGISTRATE'S WARNING. [BY TELEGRAM. — ASSOCIATION.] Christchtjrch, Thursday. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Christchuroh Licensing Committee to-day, Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., chairman of the committee, said that before applications for renewal of licenses were . considered he wanted to. deal with one aspect of the conduct of certain houses did not intend to specify them—which had arisen in connection with police reports. It was stated that book makers frequented hotels on race days, and made use of the premises for betting purposes. Tho committee thoroughly appreciated the action of the licensees of the United . Service and City Hotels. When the police drew their attention to this serious blot on the trade they promptly put a stop to the practice, and their' action stood out very handsomely. Five objections had been lodged concerning the practice of bookmakers frequenting hotels for betting purposes. When he received the police reports he took the Licensed Victuallers' Association into his confidence, and that body at once grasped the position, and pledged itself to use the utmost effort to ensure the law being strictly observed. The association had also communicated with the owners, mortgagees, and licensees of each hotel affected, and he had received from those persons individually assurance in tho most ample terms that the difficulty would bo. met," and the practice, if it. existed, stopped. He knew that certain licensees had scruples as to how far they would be justified in putting a stop to the frequenting' of their houses by bookmakers. ' Immediately the licensee had any reasonable ground for believing that accommodation and refreshment were being sought as a cover for the carrying on of an illegal practice then he was fully justified in refusing to receive or serve the bookmaker. He had no wish to preach a sermon about gambling, but one could not hide from oneself the fact that it was being carried on to a considerable extent, and all thinking men must realise it was a very serious evil. Holding the opinion he did that gambling was a sort of. moral cancer, he should be extremely sorry if he thought that publicans were covering acts of those bookmakers, harpies as he believed them to be, by virtue of their licenses.