PRIEST'S NOVEL SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21344, 19 November 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

PRIEST'S NOVEL SCHEME

TOTALISATOR CLUB HEART OF LONDON'S DOCKLAND A Roman Catholic priest has started a totalisator club in the heart of London's dockland. Nearly 10 years ago Father Carless went to St. Ann's Church, Custom House, in the East End, and, building a tin hut, founded the St. Ann's Social Club. The club now has 1200 members, including 200 women. The tin hut has been replaced by a palatial building costing £II,OOO in Berwick Road, Custom House. Father Carless borrowed the money for the new building, and is going to repay it out of the totalisator proceeds. When the debt is cleared he will use the profits for social services, which include special educational facilities hitherto denied to the people of dockland. The club building has a dance hall and concert hall, an open-air boxing arena capable of seating 3000 people, a roof garden, fully licensed bar, billiards tables, rest rooms, hot baths, an orchestra and a kitchen.

"Gambling is inherent," Father Carless said in a recent interview, " and 1 am going to provide a legal method for my men so that they can get a fair deal. Often, with street bookmakers, they never get their proper money when they win; here they must get 90 per cent, of the proceeds, which make quite good odds.

" The fee for membership is only Is, and the committee are now working on a plan to enable unemployed men to become members on even better terms." The totalisator was worked for the first time on a recent West Ham greyhound meeting. The prices were 6 and 7 points over the bookmakers' odds on the course. For the first race it paid 9s 6d for each unit of 2s. Father Carless had one or two bets, but did not win anything.