GAMING AMENDMENT BILL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3475, 19 October 1920, Page 40

GAMING AMENDMENT BILL.

During the debate on the Gaming Amendment . Bill the Hon. G. J. Anderson, whose department deals with the subject, said if it wa-s agreed that in the future there should be only ■seven races Instead of eight races in ' /each day, there would be less racing in the country than at present, and more clubs would have the benefit of race days. Mr Anderson proceeded to quote some interesting figures. The amount given in stakes In 1918 was £383,070; last year it was £502,000. The tax on stakes in 1918-19 was'£3B3o; last year It was £5022. The totallsator investments for these years were £5,732,000 and £8,797,000. The V-j percentages retained by the clubs were, £429,000 and £659,000. The Government taxes of li per cent, were £143,311 and £219,814; and the •Government taxes on dividends £129,000 and

£197,000 respectively. The fractions retained by the clubs were for these years £27,457 and £42,058 respectively. Analysing the present distribution of permits on a. population basis, he said that the Auckland district, with a population of 308,857, had 5u days of racing and trotting. If all the permits were distributed on a population basis, Auckland should have 7U days, or 24 more than at present. On a similar basis Hawke's Bay should have 15i fewer. Taranaki, which had Hi days, should have 14i. Greymouth had 24 and should have 14*. Canterbury has 49, and should have 47. Dunedin 'had 50 days„ and should have 48-i. This was on the basis of ,2.81 days for the whole dominion. He believed that before, there was any increase in the number of permits there should be a redistribution of those in existance.