THE “ROLL-DOWN.”

Otago Witness, Issue 3782, 7 September 1926, Page 22

THE “ROLL-DOWN.”

CHRISTCHURCH PROSECUTIONS. CHRISTCHURCH. September 3. After many adjournments pending the decision of the Chief Justice on the appeal case in Wellington in connection with the “roll-down,” the charge against Joseph Harlow and Herbert Robinson, proprietors of the Christchurch “rolldown” parlour, was finally disposed of this morning, when the defendants were convicted and ordered to pay 7s court costs. Before Mr H. A. Young* S.M., Harlow and Robinson were charged with keeping a common gaming house. Mr Thomas, who appeared for both accused, said that in view of the decision of the Chief Justice he would withdraw the plea of not guilty and plead guilty. Chief Detective T. Gibson said that defendants had closed down as soon as the decision of the Chief Justice had been made known.

Addressing the court, Mr Thomas asked the magistrate to take the circumstances into consideration. The defendants were convicted, not on grounds of running a game rf chance, but for being a common nuisance. Dozens of these games .rare played at the recent Exhibition, Dunedin, in “Chocolate Alley.” They had been financial successes there, and were subsequently started all over New Zealand. A conviction had been entered in Auckland, but there the tables and balls had not been true. In Wellington, however, the apparatus was unexceptionable, and the magistrate had held that it was a game of skill. The same position liehl good in Christchurch, but, under the decision of the Chief Justice, it was a common nuisance, and they would, therefore, have to plead guiltv. There ha;l been a doubt as to what the law was in regard to these games until the Chief Justice gave his decision, but when it was made clear defendants closed down at once, and the premises were now to let. They had already incurred a loss through the decision in the appeal case, and, as a natter of fact, the loss on the apparatus would be between £SO and £IOO. The defendants had not encouraged children to take part in the "axae iff Christchurch. The Magistrate said that, in view of what had been said by counsel and the chief detective, he thought it would be sufficient if each defendant were convicted and ordered to pay court rests (7s).