A CHINESE GAME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21857, 20 July 1934, Page 13

A CHINESE GAME

MAH JONGG NOT UNLAWFUL FAILURE OF PROSECUTIONS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION! TIMARU, Thursday A case of some interest was heard in the Police Court to-day, when Willie Wong, a Chinese fruiterer,' was charged with keeping a gaming house. Several other Chinese were charged with being found in a gaining house. The case was a sequel to a police raid, when the accused were found in the kitchen of Wong's premises playing mah jongg. Each man was found with a pile of money in front of him. The case hinged on determination of the question whether mah jongg was a game of chance and thereby an unlawful game. A police witness, Percy Chew Lee. described the game, stating that skill was involved in determining what tiles, as the pieces are called, were held by a player's opponents and what they were endeavouring to build up. An exhibition of the game was given in Court by four Chinese.

The magistrate, Mr. C. R. OrrWalker, said the police case rested on whether mah jongg was a game of pure chance or contained a sufficient element of skill to remove it from this category. The Legislature had determined certain Chinese games as unlawful, but mah jongg was not included. He had come to the conclusion that there was a substantial amount of skill in the game and the police cases must fail. The informations were dismissed.