THE NEW GAMING ACT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13671, 9 April 1908, Page 7

THE NEW GAMING ACT.

I ■ -, T DECLARED: A FAILURE. "GAMBLING OUADRUPLED.'' Mr R. S. Abraham,.^ leading Majiawatu resident, writes a suggestive letter to v the Daily Times, in which he says : "The press -Is full of complaints that racing clubs are neglecting the interests of their natrons, inasmuch, as they do not .Use .sufficient care in me class of bookmakers licensed nt tne various meetings.: TAey do not. however, suggest any means whereby the clubs can ascertain, the standing, financial or otherwise,. «f the various applicants. Wha£ catt be done in this way is done. -Any misdemeanour on^ the part of a bookmaker at a meeting is &t once reported to the Racing Conference, and by the conference to. wre blabs which have meetings coming on, who will not issue a license to a man so reported. We also obtain a police repOTt. Let us, however, look a little further into the effect of the Gaming Act, this precious result of combination between Church and Bookmaker! i For a small meeting such as ours next ' week we have applications from thirtythree bookmakers ! '$ Now; I very much doubt if prior to the Act there were ! that, many bookmakers in the colony ! actually plying their callifig; they had ! been compelled to go to v work owing to done off, the j.ace«hurses. , What is the position how? Tnere are hundreds of them, and owing to, the strong temptation o&red>,thejdle^hcv ar6 incrWine: "Very" rapidly: W these* men make their living jginiply, on the racecourses? It is acC,o#en secret, on the contrary, that .anyone can bet m anjf town, and at any hour, without let cr hindrance. It was7'6nly a short time back that a friend of mine was ap; proached in a respectable^ hotel by one of these men, who offered %o bet with him, and, when hft contemptuously refused, he struck him in the face with a* tumbler. In my opinion, this mistaken Act is going to do irremediable mischief, and Tarn 1 sorry that the GoV- | efnment allowed themselves to be i forced into passing such a measure to satisfy, the claims of those individuals who would compel -the; Dominion to become moral by Aetjof Parliament. It is- to be hoped fnW these gentlemen will rest content now that they have quadrupled gambling in New Zealand, and that not With the open and l harm ; less totalisator, but with the 'bookv. who deals in secret and will give credit to any clerk if he thinks he has half a chance of getting'his money.