TOTALISATOR REVENUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26589, 11 October 1947, Page 8

TOTALISATOR REVENUE

UNPAID FRACTIONS AND DIVIDENDS

DISPOSAL QUERIED

Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Oct. 10.

A complaint that figures of unclaimed dividends, which clubs were entitled to retain, had not been made public at the same time as the figures of unclaimed totalisator fractions for the past two seasons (£545,993) were published, was made by Mr F. Langstone (Govt., Roskill) in the House of Representatives to-day. He said clubs must have a record of every ticket sold and not paid out on, and the information should have been made available, as they would know the amounts because they retained them. Unclaimed dividends and unpaid fractions should go to the Department of Internal Affairs for distribution to all forms of amateur sport, which did not have the facilities of totalisators to support their particular recreations, said Mr Langstone.

The clubs were also getting a refund of 2\ per cent, on totalisator tax with a £SOO maximum. Back in 1931 it was lj per cent, with a £250 limit. Mr A. S. Sutherland (Oppn., Hauralfi) appealed for the lifting of some of the taxation on clubs to enable them to overcome arrears of maintenance and for the provision of much-needed facilities for patrons. At present the clubs were tax-gatherers for the Government. Mr E. R. Neale (Oppn., Nelson) said he was not concerned with the big clubs, but he did not think the member for Roskill realised how important unpaid fractions and unclaimed dividends were to small clubs. Without them small clubs would be unable to carry on. They now had to give bigger stakes for obvious reasons. His particular club had £3BO unpaid fractions and £SOO refund of totalisator tax last season and without these sums it would have incurred a heavy loss. It had to be remembered, in taking a wide view of the matter, that the small clubs were the nurseries for the big clubs. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, said the matter would doubtless be the subject of reference in the report of the Gaming Commission, and comment should be withheld until the commission had reported its conclusion to the Government.