IMPROVED TOTALISATOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18215, 7 October 1922, Page 11

IMPROVED TOTALISATOR

INSTALMENT AT ELLERSLIE.

AN UP-TO-DATE MACHINE.

FACILITIES FOR INVESTORS

The new tolalisator which has been installed by the Auckland Racing Club at Ellerslie will be in operation for the first time to-day at the Pakuranga. Hunt Club's meeting. The new machine, which is known as the Julius patent, is electrically operated and embodies tho most recent improvements that have been effected in the automatic type of machine.

The totalisator, or master calculator, itself is housed on a second floor in tho centre of the new totalisator building and occupies a room of about 72ft. by 25ft. Entering the room one is struck by its similarity to a section of a power house plant. The walls are studded with electrical appliances and in the front of the room aro a number of intricate-looking contrivances remotely suggestive of adding machines. These arc the important parts of the master' calculator, which automatically register everv investment made. They are connected Avith 42 ticket-issuing machines, each ono of which serves two windows on the ground floor at which tho public may obtain tickets.. The ticket machines have an issuing capacity of 90 a minute when working without a stoppage. Each one is connected with, every one of tho 30 units upstairs, which do tho adding and show in figures on the front of tho building the value of each ticket issued. Some idea of the rapidity with which the machine works may be gained from the fact that its registering capacity is 3000 a minute. A device designed for coping with congestion on any of the -units is remarkably ingenious. In the event of the investments on any num-ber-being so great that the capacity of the machine is exceeded the bets are accurately stored in a mechanical reservoir attached to each unit and subsequently registered. If the rush on the unit continues and the reservoir becomes overtaxed the ticket issuers are automatically cut out, a bell rings and tho number of the overtaxed unit is shown on tho wall, thus drawing the attention of the machine attendant to the fact.

In addition to the ticket issuters in the main building, there are 16 of the rrachines in the temporary " Derbv " tolalisator and one in the members' stand, al 1 of which are electrically connected with the inastei- calculator. This conveys some idea of the possibilities of the extension of the system. In fact, when the full scheme of installation desired bv the club is completed there wiil be in addition to the 42 in the main build'ng 23 extra issuing machines installed in the Leger and Derby enclosures and 10 on the " hill " for outside investors.

Tho power for operating the machine cousists of a 30 h.p. motor direct-coupled to a 20-kilowatt generator from the city electrical supply. The present plant is of sufficient capacity to supply the fullsized installation when it is completed. To provide for working the machine in tho event of the current being accidentally cut off, an emergency plant, consisting of a 20 h.p. Twigg benzine engine connected to a 20-kilowatt generator, has been provided.

The main totalisator building, which covers an area of 307 ft. by. 45ft., is said to be the finest in New Zealand or Australia. It embodies every convenience that experience has shown to be required. The interior is a hu«e counting house in which about 250 employees will be engaged on race days, when approximately £500,000 passes th'-ough the machine in about five hours. The installation of the new machine should eliminate the possibility of congestion at either the ticketseilipg or pay-out windows. The additional ticket selljnrr windows will provide much greater_ facilities for the public to invest and tho pav-out windows, which number 77, compared with 65 in tho old building, should prevent congestion i"h that department.