GREYHOUND RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19743, 16 September 1927, Page 11

GREYHOUND RACING.

BETTING ON THE EVENTS. TEST CASE IN AUSTRALIA. 'Received September 15, 8.35 p.m.) A. and N.Z. SYDNEY, Sept. 15. The hearing of a case by which it was intended to test the legality of betting at mechanical hare coursing meetings was concluded at the Glebe Police Court today. A summons was issued under the Betting and Gaming Act at the instance of Alfred Robert Miles, master hatter, of Webb Street, Ashfield, against Charles Gilbert, charging the latter with having unlawfully made a bet on a greyhound race at Epping racecourse on July 23. Defendant pleaded not guilty. The magistrate imposed a penalty of £2O on defendant. He ruled that mechanical hare racing is not a true coursing meeting, at which the Betting Act permits betting. Notice of appeal has been lodged. In Chambers subsequently the defendant applied for a statutory prohibition to restrain the magistrate and the police prosecutor from further proceeding with the magistrate's order under which the bookmaker was convicted The Judge granted a rule nisi for the prohibition, returnable on October 6. I

At the original hearing or. Septcmbei 9 of the case referred to in the message the complainant said he iiad made seveial , bets with the det'eudant. Replying to , Mr. Mack, K.C., ho said that at the I su ,T ! T estion of a man named rianley he had decided to lest the legality of the betting. . . John George McLeod, hairdresser, oi West Maitland. said he had been associated with coursing for 25 years. Mechanical hare racing was not coursing as he knew it. In coursing points were awarded not only for speed, but for cleverness. Questioned by Mr. Mack as to what remuneration he was receiving for giving evidence, McLeocl stated that his expenses were to be paid by a bookmaker named Buckleton. who had approached him in the case, and that, m addition, he was to receive 25 guineas. He admitted that "tin hare" racing was taking dogs and money out of his district. r , 4 Edwin Redgrove. of Evan Street, Greta, gave similar evidence. He added that Buckleton. by whom he had been subpoenaed, had promised him 25 guineas and expenses. At this stage Miles was recalled, and under cross-examination, he said he was' not receiving anything for giving evidence. This closed the case for the complainant. Gregory Keighery. a hotelkeeper ot Auburn. and vice-president of the National Coursing Association, stated that in live-hare racing the races, in 99 cases out of 100 were won bv speedy The new form of coursing was nidged practically on the same basis as in the old form of coursing. Frederick Cowdry. secretary of the National Conrsine Association, said there was practically no difference between the old and the new forms of greyhound racing. SPORT IN ENGLAND. WINDFALL FOR TREASURY. (Received September 15. 11.16 p.m.' A. and N.Z LONDON. Sept It. The British Treasury is unexpectedly receiving about £IO.OOO a week fiom the betting and entertainment taxes on gre\hound racing. This source of revenue was not foreseen in the last Budget.