BETTING IN HOTELS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14216, 4 June 1910, Page 7

BETTING IN HOTELS.

ACTIOX AT CHPJSTCHURCH. In the course of some remarks at the meeting of the C'hristchuurch Licensing Committee the chairman. Mr Bishop, S.M.. said he had taken the Licensed Victuallers' Association into his confidence, and as the result of that body's action the licensees had given a positive assurance that the abuses would be stunned. Of course, he said, .he ivould.iio.t- expect rtconlo to do impossibilities, and he knew there night In- a difficulty in carrying out the undertaking, but he was. quite siitMiyd with the assurance that ea'Oi licens?* would do hi=; best to put a stop to what was a serious abuse.

Betting had been carried on to such an extent in the street as to attract public attention, and an attemp had been made by the police to put a stop to the practice. Tho attempt failed in certain respects, unfortunately, not everybody being in svmiiathy with it; but the police found that certninn hotels were being used by certain bookmakers as a cover for their business. He knew that certain licensees had scruples as to how far they would be justified in putting a stop to the frequenting of their houses by bookmakers. He was not going to say for one moment that bookmakers would not be entitled to demand and exercise accommodation and refreshment from licensed publicans. who existed for that purpose, but immediately a licensee had any reasonable ground for believing that accommodation and refreshment were being sought as a cover for the carrying on of illegal practices, then be was fully justified in refusing to receive or serve him. Betting now was illegal if carried on elsewhere than on a racecourse, and it would be a sorry thing indeed if hotels were to lend themselves as a cover for a most undesirable section of: the community to carry on a business that affected the well-being of the community. fie had no wish or intention to preach a sermon about gambling but one could not hide from oneself the fact that gambling was now being carried (iii to a considerable extent, and nil thinking men must realise that it was a. very serious evil at the present day. jlt was' almost an anachronism that those who indulged in gambling themselves recognised the evil results to the community and deplored tiie extent oi the vice. Holding the opinion he did. that gambling was a sort of moral cancer, he should be extremely sorry iif he thought that publicans wero covering the acts of those bookmakersharpies as he believed them to be—bv virtue of their licenses. Ho did not bo- , lieve for one moment that any respectable publican would desire that.

The Melbourne "Argus" is proud of Sir G. H. Reid. It says: "In Its High Commissioner Australia has a most valuable asset. He stands to tho people of the mother-count-v as tho spokesman of all as the envoy of a- great Kede,. Commonwealth extending over a whole continent. 'lhat is oue reason why he is ill request at important functions and is listened to with respect- and with deep interest. Partly,* however, his undoubted success is due to himself. He is a particularly hapny speaker, and seems almost to be taking in London the place formerly hold by the W erica n ambassador. Mr. Cheate. Tins gives him fine opportunities, and ho is making excellent use of them. His speeches invariably contain large ideas, which h c C;UI present nil the more tellingly on account of his readv sense of humour, and they are given bv the nross a publicity which is an excellent advertisement for Australia.''

| hen the s.s. M. S. Dollar arrived I a S o. I ivit-li a cargo of limber from Vancouver. { had a (.'rev.- of 41 Chinese. It tvss discovered when the vessel sailed at the end of April that this crew only mustered 30, for tho carpenter and tiie carpenter .s mate were both missing, and not withstanding the hue and cry that was at once raised, no trace of them could he found. The circumstance has cost the asents tor the vessel £i'(K). In the District Co art tho master of tho steamer was proceeded against by Detective-Inspector Christie on two counts of having been in charge of a, vessel from which a. t>rohibited immigrant had entered tlio C omnionwealth. 'i bo agents for the steamship, admitted both offences on behalf of Captain .Morton, who did not anpear, and 111 each case a fine of £101) v.-as imposed. Both penalties wero immediately paid.

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