GAMING OFFENCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23280, 24 February 1939, Page 12

GAMING OFFENCES

THREE MEN CONVICTED ILLEGAL FRUIT MACHINES ONE DEFENDANT FINED £IOO Ifrosi our own correspondent! HAMILTON, Thursday A charge of keeping a common gaming house was admitted by Christopher Howe Nicholson (Mr. N., S. Johnson) before Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Police Court to-day. Detective-Sergeant J. Thompson said that as the result of information received a search warrant was executed on premises occupied by defendant in Victoria Street, Hamilton, on February 20. In defendant's office were two fruit machines. In a judgment given in 1933 Mr. Justice Herdman had held that these machines were illegal and that their presence in a building constituted it a common gaming house. Mr. Thompson added that Nicholson was a bookmaker. In the office were found documents which indicated that he was carrying on a fairly extensive betting business. Double charts were also found. Nicholson had been twice previously convicted of bookmaking. The detective-sergeant asked for an order requiring the machines to be destroyed. Mr. Johnson said there - nothing to say in extenuation except that • t'n« machines were in.frequent use in Xcw Zealand and on American liners running between Australia and New Zea-' land.

Nicholson was convicted and fined £IOO and costs, and the two machines found 011 his premises were ordered to be destroyed. Percy Raymond Allport pleaded guilty to a charge of assisting Nicholson in the conduct of a gaming house. Mr. Thompson said defendant had been with Nicholson for a week and nothing was known against him. "You are getting into bad company," said Mr. Paterson, in imposing a fine of £5, and costs.

Byron Joseph Baumberg was fined £25 and costs for- keeping a common gaming house. Mr. Thompson said the circumstances were similar to those in Nicholson's case. A fruit machine was founa in Baumberg's office, which was up for bookmaking. His business had increased considerably since lie wa- previously convicted in January, 1936, when he was fined £5. #

The magistrate ordered the fruit machine found in defendant's office to be destroyed.