THE COLONIST. Published Daily—Morning. Nelson, Wednesday, Mabch 11, 1903. GAMBLING.

Colonist, Volume XLVI, Issue 10663, 11 March 1903, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Daily—Morning. Nelson, Wednesday, Mabch 11, 1903. GAMBLING.

A large and enthusiastic meeting was recently held in Christchurch, at which Mr Bedford, M.H.R. of Dunedin, delivered an address on gambling, in the course of which he said "the habit of gambling, once it gripped a man, subordinated all else. There was nothing more calcnlated to develop malevolence and hardness of heart than gambling. Each gambler was trying to secure his own advantage at the expense of his fellows ; no man could win unless another man was injured. . . .

Was it to be wondered that the very pillars of character were threatened by the hahit of gambling. If any did not thoroughly appreciate the greatness of the curse, let them go to a race meeting, to the unostentatious parts of a racecourse. There they wonld see what gambling could do for a man, or for a woman. Horse racing itself was a very fine sport, j and one which he could enjoy, but horse races now were simply gambling nurseries. Ruskiu had said that the wealth of a nation might be estimated by the number of persons who were engaged in useful work. Gambling provided no useful work, and earned no wealth, but simply lived on the wealth made by the real workers, and in spite of all this, the Colony legalised the totalisator, an institution which had increased the amount of gambling by making it legal and respectable. The totalisator had been weighed in the balance, and found wanting. " The speaker quoted seemed hardly to appreciate that there is any gambling save that connected with horse racing, whereas there is scarcely a form of sport which does not lend itself to gambling. Even in business matters the spirit of gambling is apparent, and in mining it is common. Thus, in connection with commerce and mining industries an observer might remark with as much force as Mr Bedford in his reference to gambling that each "was trying to secure his own advantage at the expense of his fellows." On behalf of those who invest small sums in the hope of winning a large amount it has been urged that their investments! have provided pleasant hopes of securing competencies which could be looked for in no other way, and that such investments have beneficial results, but such arguments are in reality falacious, and it is 'jbeyohd question that gambling leads to very great mischief, and no little misery. That the gambling spirit is very nnmmnn. however, must be admitted, and if one means of Indulging in the practice is closed the probabilities are that others will be found unless those inclined to the practice are led away from the temptation. To a certain extent the totalisator discouraged gambling, but at the present time bookmakers are common enough in the larger centres, and private "tote ' shops exist, which i compete with the legalised totalisator, and tempt many to invest. If betting through tfee totalisator and

other means were confined to those who attend race or other thej Wm clone would fee comparatively! &*nall, _nd It would be possible tr check the evil of gambling, for the harm that is done is mostly in consequence of gambling in private. The providing of telegraph stations on the race courses has, we believe* led to a great increase ol P«¥at'e £a_ibliflg', arid it Is prefcfcy certain that if tjomniunications from a race course were stopped there would be less gambling than there is at the present day. It is not open betting that is most harmful, but that which goes I on out of the sight of ordinary citi- j zens. The policy snouid ,_m rib difficulty in finding but those who ferWlc signer the spirit or the letter of the law, and if the law is faulty it should be so amended as to enable them to put down an evil. The Qovernment is unable to entirely sfcop 1 the evil) "but a determined effort on the pari ol thie authorities, backed. By a wholesome, public opinion, ellG'uid lead to a very material diminution of gambling.