Truth THE TOTALISATOR PERMITS LIMITATION ACT.

NZ Truth, Issue 66, 22 September 1906, Page 4

Truth

THE TOTALISATOR PERMITS LIMITATION ACT.

Published Every Saturday morning at Luke's lane (off Mannersstreet), Wellington, N.z. SUBSCRIPTION (IN ADVANCE), 13S. PER ANNUM. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1906. — . r— '

The above Bill, which has lately been introduced by Mr Tanner, is beyond doubt a drastic measure, and considering the short shrift tendered to the Totalisator Abolition Bill the member for Avon must be credited with plenty of' pluck (if not audacity) for his attempt to revise the Law. That there are certain good reasons for limiting the number of Totalisator permits is beyond question. But whether or not Mr Tanner is conversant with these reasons has yet to be Droved. : No one wiir deny that, a similar Bill introduced by a member who thoroughly understands the inner workings ,of racing m New Zealand and its comparison with the sport m other parts of the globe would have immediately gained the confidence of Parliament and the people ; but the same cannot be said of a measure introduced by members >who, on their own admission, neither frequent racecourses nor indulge m betting. Can such men understand the position of sport with the totalisator as compared to sport m the Absence of the machine ? And can they be relied upon to introduce legislation to cope with the gambling evil ? It .is safe to express the opinion that one .of the "sporting" members would be more competent to bring forward any reforms that may be deemed necessary for the welfare of tbe community. * * * It hasloeen said on more than one occasion that it is impossible to suppress the bookmakers while the "tote" is legal ; and to a great many this is the only argument against the machine. What an absurd contention, to be sure! Then, again, we hear a cry against the State profiting by the. aid of gambling. Now, if it can be conclusively proved that gambling can ever be suppressed, well and good : bift if not it was a wise law indeed that turned some of the floating .money into the coffers of the State. Quite a different lament is heard from the individual who deplores the fact that the totalisator is an inducement to the fair sex , to enter the gambling arena. Now, God bless the ladies, for sitsely, then, the machine must thin the '"School for Soandal!" • * * It must be allowed that the number of racing days at some of the smaller towns m the colony is excessive. In many cases a two day's meeting is held at a place where the hotel accommodation for owners, trainers and jockeys is both inferior and inadequate. It cannot be said that this is a healthy state of affairs, and it cannot be gainsaid that were it not for the totalisator revenue these particular places would have to be content with a one-day meeting. The country meeting of days gone by was always an enjoyable fixture. It was an event looked forward to by all the district folk, an affair brimful of good-fellowship, a collection of rich and poor, really sporting people, with their brakes or their poorer vehicles ; a grand show of conviviality where cold ham and turkey predominated. God forbid that it should be doomed to oblivion. Where the legal machine is not to be found the bookmaker is generally m strong evidence;

for without a liable gamble the day's sport would be less interesting to many. Unfortunately, there are black sheep m every walk of life, and the bookmaking fraternity is no exception to this rule. On the other hand, there are as good men among the "books" .as are to be found elsewhere, ,and it seems absurd that the whole lot should be made to suffer for the sins of a few. Surely a system of license might be adopted that would effectually deal with this matter.

To come to the Bill itself, Clause 2 requires that not more than twothirds of the number" of licenses that were issued last racing year shall be issued during this year or any subsequent year. This m itself would be quite a moderate move ; but Clauses 3 and 4 put a different . complexion upon it. Clause 3 requires that a separate totalisator permit shall ne required for each separate day's racing. Tt. will be . seen that this would have the effect of reducing the number of days during which racing is held by considerably more than onethird. ' It would not be so unreasonable were the permits • distributed to the best advantage ; but the allotment would be a difficult, question and would probably . cause a serious blow to the sport on account of the squabbling that would arise. Clause 4is a most extraordinary one. It debars any club from receiving a totalisator permit for a meeting to be held on any Bank holiday. . The only reason that can be seen for the sponsor .of this queer bill introducing this issue is that he objects to, horse-trainers and jockeys working when other people are enjoying themselves. It seems a mystery that he did not have their wants, attended' to when tlie Shops and Offices Act was on the bpards. Should there be any mistake as to Mr Tanner s philantropic intentions, it looks as if he wants to kill racing as a sport and make it a business ; for how can the majority of the population attend the meetings except on the various holidays. If the Member for Avon is of opinion that Clause 4 will reach the third reading he is a deal more optimistic than many people dare to be.

There are m the House of Representatives, and m the Upper House, a considerable number of Members who are intimately connected with the Turf, and some of them hold positions on one of the highest tribunals connected with racing m this colony, and these gentlemen have, from time to. time, voiced the strong views they hold m favor of the totalisator. In addition their knowledge of the sport m general must be of great value to the Members not familiar with the Turf. It is a necessity that the^ should be present to discuss the. Bill, and above all to take part m all the divisions, not to prostitute their manhood or to pander to any particular section of the people, not to allow to be swept away without a stern struggle the law,' which has for so many years been such a great incentive to fashionable breeding and clean racing.