THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TOTALISATOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 25

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TOTALISATOR.

The following circular has been forwarded by the Colonial Secretary to Resident Magistrates :—: — The attention of the Government has been drawn to the evils which attend the excessive use of the totalisator at racejmeetings all ovep,,the colony. It would almost seem as if ao amount of added money could be too small, the population of no district could be too sparse, no meeting could be too insignificant to obtain a license.to use the instrument. As by section 46 of "The Gaming'and Lotteries Act 1881," the question of whether a license should be granted or not is made to depend upon the recommendation of the senior resident magistrate of the principal town of the provincial district in which the racing club is established, I am instructed to suggest for your consideration that, in all cases of reference to you, it will be advisable that you should, in making your report and,recommendation, take into consideration the following points :— 1. The applications should in all cases be endorsed by the recommendation of the stewards of the Metropolitan Racine Club. 2. The races should be held under the rules of the Metropolitan Club. • . •* ■ 3. The amount of public money added to,stakes should never be less than £100 at any meeting. • < 4. Licenses should never be given to use the totalisator at a pony race, or a trotting race, or hack race meeting; nor at a meeting proposed to be held in an isolated place, where the surrounding population ia not sufficiently large to furnish a tolerably numerous attendance at the meeting. 5. License to übo totalisator should not be given' to any club other than the Metropolitan Club for more than three meetings hi the year. ' ' 6. Each recommendation should be fora specific occasion, and not |n general terms, for meetings to be held under the auspices of any club. . The Colonial Secretary quite recognises > that in such a case as this, where the responsibility of making a recommendation is thrown by law upon a specified officer, it is not within the right, of a Minister to fetter that officer with .particular instructions as to how, tyfl statutory duty should be

, performed; ,but the'Governinent are of opinion "thal't< ft is j desirable tbafc uniformity of action should J 'characterise the practice in reference to these - 'licenses'/and that the existing state'of the morals of '' the turf will probably be improved by an observance; on the part of the officers ohargedwith the duty of ' recommending the issue of licenses, of the principle* embodied iv the rules above indicated; ' /