The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1910. GAMBLING.

Opunake Times, Volume XXX, Issue 1649, 28 June 1910, Page 2

The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 1910. GAMBLING.

In sentencing two prisoners at the Auckland Supreme Court, for theft of moneys from their employers, Mr Justice Chapman made some very caustic remarks on legislation relative to gambling. Both the prisoners had apparently spent the money they had stolen in gambling with bookmakers. After referring to the totalisator, which, in his opinion, should not be allowed to exist, although he admitted that opinion was by no means shared by the bulk of the community, he said ; “The law, that I consider it my duty as Judge to openly complain of, is that which legalises the operation of a section of people who come very rear to the criminal class. Bookmakers may be honorable men—l have been assured that many bookmakers are honorable—but as a class, they are treated by civilised communities as persona without lawful means of support. The New Zealand Parliament, however, has seen fit to erect them into a legalised class with a legitimate calling, and I think that is one of the gravest mistakes that the Legislature of the Dominion has made." His Honor urged “that the sooner the whole subject was reconsidered the better it would be in the interests of morality and honesty. He believed be was speaking in accord with the views held by every judge and magistrate of the country, and of police officers and others administering the criminal laws, when be declared that the result of the law in question was a direct encouragement of the criminal class making criminals of young men who normally were not criminals.’' We are quite satisfied that the legalising of bookmakers was a great mistake. Unquestionably there are men engaged in the calling whose dealings may be absolutely relied on to be straight, as far as debtor and creditor are concerned, but we think there are very few of them, who are not aware that some of the money they receive has not been come honestly by, and knowing that, when they take it, we can only look on them in the same class as receivers of stolen goods, and this latter class are not usually styled honorable. We consider gambling is one of the greatest curses which hang over the country to-day, and that at least there should be no legislative sanction to it.