THE Thames Star TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1929. BETTING TELEGRAMS.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17585, 26 March 1929, Page 4

THE Thames Star

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1929. BETTING TELEGRAMS.

"With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God givss us to sss the right,"—Lincoln.

The evergreen question of telegraphing money to the racecourse and the publication of dividends made its appearance at once of Mr Rushworth's meetings in the campaign now proceeding for the Bay of Islands by-election, and statements are reported to have been made by Mr Rushworth, who is the Country Party candidate for the Bay of Islands, that the Government proposes to legalise telegraphic bets and the publication of dividends by Order-in-Council. The Minister of Internal Affairs denies having made any such statement, and the denial is scarcely necessary, as none but a tyro in politics would believe that a Government could, or would if it had the power, make such a change by Order-in-Council. There is a right way of doing such things, and the right way is by direct legislation to repeal the existing prohibitions. Were the Order-in-Council method allowed, it might be used to extend the prohibitions as well as to remove them. At the same time we hope that the Minister of Internal Affairs will give a lead in repealing the absurd restrictions by_the proper Parliamentary procedure. The restrictions are widely recognised as absurd by all who know anything of the facts. Parliament has been prevented from repealing them long before this only by the obstinacy of a minority which has used the forms of the House —not to give full effect to the will of the majority, but to thwart it. Let us hope that the new Parliament will not allow itself to be dragooned.