GAMING BILL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16211, 23 August 1923, Page 9

GAMING BILL.

I>ETERMINED OPPOSITION

ALL NIGHT DEBATE

IPer Press Association.)

, . WELLINGTON, last night. . When the' House resumed at 7.30. the Hon. R. F. Bollard moved the second reading of the Gaming Amendment Bill, which, he' said, was not very contentious, and which he hoped would be passed with little discission. He explained various clauses,, the principal of which was that the Bill proposed to grant twelve additional totalisator permits tio racing clubs and nineteen to trotting clubs. These permits, he explained, were, to bo placed at the disposal of country clubs, and were not tin be made available to the larger clubs. The other clauses were more, or less of a machinery nature.

Mr. Wilford said he was convinced that the best way to assist this Bill on to the) Statute Book was not to talk too much.

"Mr. Holland said he could not understand the Government bringing down such a contentious measure at this stage of the session. There was not the slight est, chance of it going on the Statute Book. What would happen would be that the House would sit up all nighf and in the morning they would finfl themselves where they are now. Right away ho proposed to move as an amendment:—

' "That the Bill be referred to a. Select Committee of the: House, which should have the power to call for persons- and papers, and which should sit during the recess and call evidence as to the advisability of licensing bookmakers, and report, to the House next session." Personally, said Mr. Holland, he was not in favor of licensing bookmakers, but they had a, petition signed by a largo 'proportion of the electors of the Dominion, and that fact was entitled to consideration. As to the Bill t itself lie objected to the arbitrary powers Igivcn to the Racing Conference in the matter of ordering people off the racecourse. In this respect tho conference was given greater power than the Supreme Court. The position was intolei-able, and it was time Parliament made a, change. He would in committee move to have this power transferred toa, Stipendiary Magistrate. There was a, wide difference of opinion whet/her there should be additional permits or a redistribution of the existing permits, but in any case t\\r question was one) of tha most important, and he recommended the Government to accept! the amendment moved by himself.

Tho Speaker ruled that the; amendment was out of order at this stage. Mr. Holland might move it later on. The Hon. W. Downio Stewart said that wliile ho was in charge; of racing he had frequest conferences 1 with 'the racing clubs with a view to getting a more reasonable administration of the regulations relating to undesirables oij racecourses, with the result that great; discretionary powers were given jn cases where offences had been expiated. The result was that the Racing Conference was able to .say they kept the racecourses cleaner than in any other parti of the world. His experience was that the Racing Conference was desirous of keeping racing clean in. New Zealand, and that they were fair'and reasonable in their efforts to do so. i

Mr. Parry said racing was a business pure and simple. Horses were trained and run for purposes of profit, and for no other purpose. It was therefore nothing to the! credit of the Government that they continued to bring down Bills to regulate racing, but did nothing to make decent conditions for the jockey boys who made racing possible. The conditions under which racing was carried on in New Zealand were disgraceful and degrading. The speaker then proceeded to detail the efforts made by jockeys to forth' a, union to better their conditions, which effortsi were frustrated by the 1 racing people. In the interests of the jockeys, he advocated a minimum weight of seven stone. He objected to an unlimited number of horseß being allowed to start on narrow tracks. He held broad views as to how people enjoyed themselves, but he wanted to see decent and humane condition*, established for jockeys. His objections were not raised against the trotting; people, because they were not responsible for galloping conditions, but the Biil stood he would vote against it/and fight it. at every stage:" '*' ' "' " , Mr. Isitt said it was a pity that legislation dealing with the miserable sport of racing was taking precedence over much more needed measures at this stage of the session, and nothing could more clearly demonstrate the enormous power of the racing fraternity. There was tihe serious problem of venereal disease calling for immediate legislation, and he asked jf, it was a fair thipg that the House should spend the whole night discussing a Bill which had no chance of passing, while no remedial measure wag proposed for the problem to which he referred. He contended that the totalisator had not abolished the bookmaker, and that it was contrary to the spirit, of racing law that small country clubs should be allowed to,transfer their meetings to the cities. When the Bill Mas in committee,' he would move an amendment " restricting country race meetings to their own districts; He did not hope to atop racing or gambling, but!-hd did maintain that both were destructive of the economic and moral interests of the Dominion. Ono of the great, dangers of this country was tho feverish search of our peopje after pleasure, and their unwillingness to settle down tio thrift and hard work.

Mr, Wright said that, while he would not take away from the people any privilege they now enjoyed ho would not vote to increase 1 the permits, boeaueo that means an increase in gambling, This Bill would not solve the problem. It would simply create a demand for more and more permits year after year, for that was the history of this question, and again* he said the Bill would riot solve the) problem. Mr. Eraser said that obviously there could he nothings said in favor of< the Bill, otherwise they would have beard its supporters .advocating it. He moved : "That the Bill be referred back to .the Government with a view to going into the whole question of the) conduct of racinc and the licensing of bookmakers." ' The amendment was seconded by Mr. Armstrong. .. Mr. K. S. Williams said it was characteristic of the British race to back the. chance they liked best. So far as betting with the bookmaker was, concerned be felt that the. great majority of the people did not respect its prohibition, and he thought it was better to have; the bettinr- dpnp in the light! of day than it, should he. done in secret and Villi a feeling that they were breaking the law. Mr, Hockly said the number of permits promised was not nearly sufficient to go all round and give satisfaction. •. After midnight the debate was carried on by Messrs Rolleston (Waitomo), Poland. Hunter, and Parry.