ETHICS IN BETTING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16339, 13 May 1927, Page 7

ETHICS IN BETTING

INTERLUDE IN COURT COUNSEL’S FUTILE PLEA (Special to the Herald.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. When appearing for J. T. Peters, one of the defendants in the .betting charges arising out. of the raid on the bookmaker, Whitta’s, premises, bis lawyer, Air. Twyneham, put forward a new line of argument, which, however, .did not appear to impress the magistrate very much.

“I was not in court when your Worship heard the cases last week, and do not quite know what views were taken by the court in regard to these offences,” said Mr. Twyneham. “1 understand, however, that your Worship took into consideration the fact! that the Legislature had fixed the maxi- ’ mum penalty at £IOO, or six months’ imprisonment. If such is the case my contention is that this is not the only consideration that should be applied. The Act was passed in 1920, and yet these are the first cases brought under that Act,” continued counsel. “The Legislature has apparently regarded the thing themselves as a dead letter, and the public has consequently been encouraged to take that view. Extra heavy penalties have been provided in o'd statutes for various offences, but these statutes have become dead letters. I recognise tliat people are foolish to bet with bookmakers, but they are no worse than .those who bet on the totnlisator. .They get the same odds.” “THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS.” The Magistrate, Mr. S. W. Mbsley: I am not here to discuss that, or to diatribe about the Government. 1 don’t agree with you, as it has always been difficult to get .evidence. Mr. Twyneham: There have been dozens of raids, and the evidence is going through Government channels day after day. The magistrate added that he did not agree that the evidence was so easily obtained. Since 1920 there had not been a raid so complete as this one. Mr. Twyneham: The Government knows it is going on. The magistrate: The Government can look after their own business. I am not here to discuss the Government. If there had been any previous convictions in these cases I would have given the offenders six months’ gaol. I have been very fair, and have taken several things into consideration. It, has got to be put a stop to, and after this people will know what is before them, and they have to face the music. In future cases the fines will he tightened up. . . Mr, Twyneham added that for theft the offenders were quite frequently convicted ami discharged, or placed on probation, and these people were also I first offenders. ' The magistrate: It depends on the circumstances.