LOVE OF GAMBLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 43

LOVE OF GAMBLING.

FIVE MILLIONS A YEAR FOR BOOKMAKERS.

In " Betting and Gambling, a volume of essays just published by Messrs Macmil an aad edited by Mr Seebohm Rowntree. the

well-known author of "Poverty," some striking facts are given to show the rapid spread of gambling in all classes of the community. It may surprise the public to leaxn (says the Daily Mail) that in the space of five years and a-half no fewer than 80 cases of suicide, 321 embezzlements, and 191 bankruptcies appeared on the records of the courts owing to professional

hettng. The sum of £5,000,000 is estimated by Sir R. Giffen as annually going into the packets of bookmakers. This social cancer affects the young as wall as the old, and both sexes :— " A lady who devotes her life to the young, and lives among them in a poor part of London says that she has very little difficulty

about drink among the youths, but hardly ( dare attack the betting systematically for } fear of losing her proteges. She found one lad actually receiving telegrams from France during the Continental racing season." Some extraordinary stories are told about betting and gambling among women: — One of the speakers at the council meeting of a ladies' association, of which Lady

Trevelyan is pres dent, said that a society lady, on a friend observing that £150 a year seemed a small allowance for her daughter, replied that the latter was such a good bridge player that she easily made £1000 a yeir." This story should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but no one would ) deny that bridg-e-playing for excessive y '

high stakes is only too common among ladies. There is another story, given on the i authority of " lan Maclaren" of a yoxmg | married lady who was asked to the house > party of an old friend for the week-end : — ' Bridge is played, and although she knows ( a little about it, she excuses herself as ; not being a sufficiently good player. it '

is pointed out that everyone must play, and no doubt *he will do uell enough. She has a cion that not only money is ri«ked on the game but that it is risked to a considerable amount. She is assured that it is nothing. At the close of the evening slip di=oovers that she has lost £35. Among working-class women betting has

recently become prevalent. The Police Court missionary at Newcastle-on-Tyne states: — "There is a very great amount of betting and gambling among women. I have known women sell the shoes and stockings from off their children's feet to get coppers to put on their favourite horse." A piteous tale is told of a navvy wan. after living a happy life free, from debt,

suddenly discovered that his wife had incurred debts to the amount of £70, and on making investigations to discover what she had clone with the goods bought, found that i they had been pledged to pay her debts to | the bookmaker. The remedy for this lamentable state of affairs is discussed, and certain legislative

changes are indicated as desirable. The prohibition of the publication in newspapers of the "starting-price odds" is suggested. Considerable pains have been taken to ascertain privately the feeling of the better class of newspapers upon fcnis subject, and it is found that they would welcome such, a prohibition, provided it be made universal.

No. 2.—Mr M. discovers the one kind of fly the trout are taking but % unfortunately, he has only one of the pattern, and that is firmly fixed in the most inaccessible part of his back. —From Punch. >