LEGALISED GAMBLING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15098, 22 March 1911, Page 8

LEGALISED GAMBLING.

A SERIOUS EVIL.

SPEECH BY MR ELL. (Fbom Oira Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, March 21. . Mr H. G. Ell, iU.f., u.voteu h.mself this evening to a di.s.rtat;on on the " Danger oi Legalised Gambling, ,, speaking beiore a email attendance of members at the Presbyterian Church Association, lie said, among other things, that a bookmaker had declared the totalizator to bj the greatest teacher of gambling in 0..r midst. The Legislature' was in a ve:y unf&rtunats position. It fined a m.ui in Karanagatiape road, Auckland, Lr innning a pea-giKssing conipetitijn, it fined Chinamen for playing paKapoo, it chawd the bookmaker oil' our corns;, it mjte a penalty of ±!t,OO or l<3 muitlis' impr.6i.ninent for tha man who kept a gainblii.i; house, and lined these attending, it prohibited the newspapeis freni publishing totalisator' odds, it ftrbade the of money to TatteisaU's; in fact, it forbade gauiDliiig in eve.-y \vi.y except through the totalisator, which it kga-iised. He was-inclined to think that the protests of the jockey clubs against the bookmaker and their ueaire to banish him i-roin the laud weue not with the wholes .me desirj to do away with gambling, but to get rid of a formidable competitor. We declined against the bookmaker because ■ wo said the bookmaker gave credit. So, we lound, did the totalisator. Mr Ell read a> ciedit slip which he said had been isused by the Canterbury Jockev Club, and had been sent to him anonymously, posibly by a friend of the bookmakers. These books were given oat to aiiyi-ody. Another thing which had happened and which he hoped did not happen now, was afforded by the following instance: A certain gentleman with a banking account with a well-known bank ltft a obtain number of orders with a person in this town to put money on n,C;6 this year, 'fhe orders amount.d to several hundreds of pounds. By that practice a man might go on the course with a limited sum of money on him and give orders, for a largi amount. Wanganui and Wellington al.o had this system. Wellington had net only sold tickets at the totJisata office, but at five different places on the course. These evils had grown up with tlu totalisator.

Mt Ell said he had recently visited a. racecourse after many years' absence, but instead of having his opinions changed he had come back more strongly c.nvir.ced than ever that the totaliea-tor was a great danger to the people of the country. It was not only the male sex, but the women who now attended the race meetings, animatad by the- unwholeeome desie to. gamble, ,■ instead of being in their proper' place in the home. Mr Ell also foimu it incumbent on him to mention the gambling that was at present indulged in by women in this country at bridge parties. He ■ had it on the authority of a lady, not in Christchurch, who occupied a good position in life, and who moved in the best society circles, that it had not been safe for her to make afternoon calls for years. She could walk into many friends' houses, and, with the exception of half a dozen, find ladies playing bridge and smoking. He also had it on the authority of a leading dentist that the greater part of-his business was the whitening of women's teeth, which had been blackened through smoking, no doubt when playing bridge. He (Mr Ell) knew he laid himself 0/211 to ridicule in making the allegations he had made, but he believed it his duty to publicly draw attention to the evil that undoubtedly existed. One evening recently a gentleman friend of his going home in a tram car had met a lady friend, and asked her why she looked so worried, and she had retorted: " And so would you if you had lost your month's allowance playing- bridge." A gentleman in a high position in life in New Zealand had told him that lady friends of his were wont to assemble. on a forenoon, pull down the blinds of the house, switch on the electric light, and gamble at bridge all the morning. Were he (Mr Ell) not absolutely sure of his facts he would not tell them. He had heard statements in regard to Christchurch, but instances in other pla-ces served to Hie ipoint just as well, and it was no good stirring up bad blood here.