PERTH GAMBLING RAID.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 4, 30 December 1912, Page 5

PERTH GAMBLING RAID.

A NOVEL DEFENCE.

men of various colours

FINED

Perth, December 18.,

The legality of betting was discuss--3-cJ at the Perth Police Court, when 30 Asiatics, arrested in a raid on the previous night, were charged with playing fan tan and pe quy. in Murray Street. . :

The police said that they did nbt interfere when the Chinese were having a harmless gamble, but Air Woong, keeper of the gambling house,the head of a wealthy syndicate, and had £6O on him when arrested. -

For the defence it was urged (1), that the prosecution .arose from Ah ' Woong’s refusal to keep on his gaining table the contribution boxes cf the Chung Wah Chinese Association 5 (2), that, though betting, except per tocalisator, was illegal, Chinese were specially prosecuted while John Wren ,vas. allowed to advertise a charge toi £l6 to bookmakers to bet on the Belinont course, in addition to taking £llOO from the totalisator last Saturday. ' ’■/ Police-Magistrate Roe said he had > recently told prominent officials cf the W.A.T.C. that it urns only a qile=ition of time when Wren would be convicted of an offence against the law. He would no more heritate to send him to gaol for six months than the Chinese now before him. < Ah Woong was fined £SO, or-six months, and 23 other Chinese £1 each. Four Manilamen were fined £2 each, and one Arab was gaoled for a fortnight. 1