BOOKMAKING

Southland Times, Issue 20146, 5 April 1927, Page 4

BOOKMAKING

USE OF LICENSED PREMISES. STATEMENT BY MR W. B. McILVENEY. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, April 1. Mr W. B. Mcllveney, Commissioner of Police, in reply to a complaint from a correspondent to a newspaper concerning bookmaking on licensed premises, stated that, “so far as the provisions of the Licensing Act are concerned, the only offences which are specifically mentioned in that Act in connection with gaming offences are (a) If a licensee suffers any unlawful game to be carried on in his premises; or (b) keeps them open for the purposes of fighting or baiting any animal to fight or (c) permits or connives at gambling or the playing of any unlawful game on his licensed premises. The offences referred to by the writer do not come under any of those headings. The Full Court in Wellington in 1918, in the case of Oakes v. Edwards, decided gambling as referred to in section 185 of the Licensing Act does not include betting. Therefore the police are thrown back on the provisions of the Gaming Act in order to deal with betting on licensed premises and with offences under the later Act, the Licensing Committee have no specific power to deal further. Although the police may have reasonable grounds to suspect that betting or in fact any other improper conduct is going on in an hotel or in hotels in licensed district until they become possessed of evidence to support the charge which would prove that their suspicions are justifiable, it would be highly improper for them to make a report to any tribunal which would contain assertions which they were unprepared to establish. No doubt the Licensing Committee has certain powers at quarterly meetings to determine licenses but they cannot lawfully interfere unless the police have evidence to establish the charges levelled against the licensee by the Inspector of Licensed Premises. Up to the present, we have not had that evidence and the mere suspicion is quite insufficient to warrant a responsible officer making representations that he cannot support.