GAMBLING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 1405, 26 October 1909, Page 5

GAMBLING.

PREMIER, WAITED ON. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Oct. 25- • A deputation organised by the Citizens' Anti-Gambling League, and churches waited 011 the Premier to-day,, and urged the repeal .of the clause, m the Gaming Act licensing bookmakers, The spokesmen were the JEtey. A.. North and Mr A. B. Atkinson. ■ The Premier, in reply,;said Hp virould go into the) more important .aspects. of the matter. Mr Atkipson did not understand the -position,! At the. time, of the passing of the, Act of 1907{some very drastic " proposals. l ' wer&, orginally, einbodied in-the. Bill, including the! prohibition of stret betting, thß-. puWiprohibition of street. betting, tlie pu}ilithe protection of the people ffoini. tem-. ptations to gamble.. Those : in , House could have prevented any legislation from going through. ; Hg> kne>v,-, that unless gaming were confined itQ • racecourses the Bill could .. not, . passed. They had also . abolished, the. sending of messages to and from racecourses, and lie was, now encourage,d to hear, that what had. been done hod minimised, the evil. It . was-not right, to say that tio one was guided by prWH ciple in the matter hut. Mr Atkinson and his friends. He quite ,agreed that pony races should be prohibited, and would, help. to. do -so ; also that clubs—having no legal status shotild. be abolished, as they were run not, for sport, but for profit. Speaking for himself, lie was quite prepared to talc,o tho voico of the people on the question., ... ..... The deputation appeared-,very satis- \ fied witli~ the Premier's reply. . , . The deputation referred to the re- ; milts of the Gaining Act, winch ,was not so gratifying as , had been hoped, and urged the restriction of, the number of race metings, stating .that there were now 68 meetings round Wellington, where! formerly there were only Mr'Atkinson said tte chief defect of, the Act was the legalising of bookmaking. The Social Reform Party in Parliament were strong enough to repeal that. He tbe .presence of the Hon, J. A. Millar at_tlie opening of Tattersall's Club, , evoked, cries of < 'shame' from^tlie, deputation and a protest from the Premier, who said he allow anv reflections to be cast upon Ins col--16 In" view of the reply by the Premier Mr H. G. Ell will not proceed with his Bill proposing to Piibmit tlio qiiestion of totalisator abolition to a refer endum of tlie electors.