PROFIT AND LOSS

NZ Truth, Issue 1274, 1 May 1930, Page 5

PROFIT AND LOSS

Bookmakers Heavily > Fined (From "N.Z. Truth's" Wellington Rep.) DOOKMAKING may pay, but memD bei-s of the profession received a severe warning when four of thennumber were convicted and heaviLy\ fined by, Mr. E. Page. S.M., ih the Magistrate's Court last Monday morn- , • ing. < • ■ * Harry Corner, Robert Henry Jones Edward George Munns and Ralph Ellis ' Thompson all pleaded guilty to the charge. Stanley William Findlay, a laborer, aged 41, who was, also charged, pleaded not guilty and elected to be tried by a jury. Detective-sergeant Holmes, who outlined the case for the police, said at least two of the men had been engaged' fairly extensively/ m this illicit business. . ; Jones, who has been convicted and fined twice previously for offences of the same nature, was alleged to have taken £546 over the Easter meetinps. At the time of his arrest it was stated that Corner had taken well over £100 m bets, some of them for as much as five and six pounds. v Thompson is another past of- i fender, having been before the I court only last year, when he was j convicted and fined £50. Mri N. A. Foden, who appeared for Corner, said his client had a good record. ■ Mr. W. E. Leicester, appearing for Jones, admitted . that there was little or nothing to be said m defence of the case itself.. He did, however, advance the plea of financial stringency. This resolution had been kept until a short time ago when family affairs created a" shortage of . money and he re-entered the business as a means of income. Thompson's defence was modelled on the same lines. He stated that he had been ill and had taken up bookmakinp m order to make some money. Jones was convicted and fined £ 300, m default three months' imprisonment. Thompson was fined £200, Corner £50 and Munns £25, each m default two months' imprisonment.