CONSULTATIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2409, 3 May 1900, Page 46

CONSULTATIONS.

Mr F. Lawry says that he is going to intro- ' duce to Parliament a bill for the purpose of legalising consultations. If he does, 1 I sin- ' cerely hope that the proposal will be promptly rejected. As I grow older lam more and more inclined to discourage gambling — not because I think men have no right to gamble, but because I see clearer than ever that gambling is foolish and unbusinesslike, and. too often unsettles men for the serious affairs of life that cannot be evaded without provoking ' censure from oneself or from others who dare to speak the truth. • It is not, however, on this ground that I oppose consultations. My ( objection to Mr Lawry's proposal is of a I special and direct character, and not in any way connected with sentiment or dogma. I object, to consultations because they interfere with racing. This interference was an intolerable curse in New Zealand when we had consultations here. Remember, this colony was the birthplace of the consultation. They started at Hokitika, and wore then taken up in Dunedin, afterwards in Ohri&tchureh. I saw a lot of their working, and regard them as a great evil. To see an owner or a trainer running about to find out who has drawn this and that home, and then proceeding to levy blackmail on the person who held the ticket, is to my mind a degrading spectacle. And there were other undignified consequences, ] also some that could not be called "straight. I shall speak out plainly if Mr Lawry's bill ; is seriously considered. But I hope that the ' good sense of our legislators will induce them ! to give the measure a prompt dismissal.