JOCKEY CLUB AND BOOKMKER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8779, 16 November 1906, Page 3

JOCKEY CLUB AND BOOKMKER.

PROTECTING THE TOTALISATOR

At the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr V. G. Day, S.M., a number of bookmakers were charged with trespassing upon the Christchurch Racecourse, and with refusing to quit when ordered.

John Smith, charged with trespass upon three occasions, plead-ed guilty, and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment upon each charge. W. Blood also pleaded guilty to four charges, and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment on each charge. E. J. Marsdon pleaded guilty to four similar charges. Mr Donnelly appeared for accused, and said that his client had paid £50 in fines for this offence, and had been sentenced to two months' imprisonment, in default of a fine of £25. The sending of men to gaol for this offence was a dangerous practice, and the accused had no criminal proclivities outside this fault. Men should not be made prisoners for the sake of protecting the Canterbury' Jockey Club's totalisator. The club should protect itself by means of a fine' or a license.

His "Worship said that there was no excuse for a man who had not taken heed of the previous punishments. He would be sentenced to two months' i.Tnprisonment upon- each charge, the term to run concurrently.

George Pierce pleaded guilty j and ©aid that he had an offer of employment, and was going to relinquish the calling of a bookmaker. He was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon.

George Driver and J. Seatree were each fined £10 and costs.

Alfred Drake pleaded guilty to | two charges, and said that this was his first offence. He had never made a " book " before and would never com© before the Court again. He was fined 40s on the first charge, and upon the second he was convicted, and was ordered to pay the costs of both. James Matson, A. Butler and S. Isaacs were each fined £5 and costs.

William Barry, charged with trespass upon four occasions, was fined £5 upon each charge.

J. Cuthbertson was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment upon each of four charges.

John Rcss (Mr Donnelly) pleaded not guiltyMr Stringer said that the plea would be raised that Ross was acting as clerk to Seatree. In a previous series of cases Roiss had stated that Seatree was his clerk, but in this action the positions were reversed. The. regulations prohibited bookmaking, and Ross was equally guilty. James Waldroii gave evidence to the effect that he warned both Roes and Seatree. Ross was then acting as clerk.

To Mr Donnelly : There were several other well-known bookmakers meting as clerks. They had been warned to leave, but none of them had been summoned.

Detective Cox corroborated Waldron's statements. The words used in warning Seatree and Ross were : "I warn you to leave the course, and to take off your bags." Detective Kennedy said that be saw Ross handling money on the first day, and on the last days of the meeting he had been betting openly.

Mr Donnelly said that Ross was the only bookmaker who had acted as clerk upon that day who had been, summoned, and he seemed to be singled out by the Canterbury Jockey Club upon this "Field Day." He reminded the Bench that it , had one© ruled that a clerk wa9»not a bookmaker. Under the Canterbury Jockey Club's regulations it was the bookmaker who was not allowed upon, the course, and Ross, acting as a clerk, did not break the rules and regulations.

His Worship said t-hat as he , had considered the matter about the clerks, and was now of the opinion that his previous ruling was erroneous 1 , he would only inflict a fine. He held that the clerk was equally guilty under the Justices of the Peace Act. Ross would be fined £10 and costs.

R. Davidson (Mr Weston) also pleaded not giiilty to four charges.

James Waldroii stated that Davidson was bookmaking on the course, and had been warned to leave. This he failed to do. He did not tell him that he was authorised to act by the club. ;

Mr Weston submitted that Waldron had not shown Davidson that lie had an official status.

His Worship said that "he Gould not hold that it was necessary for #he club's servant to show his authority/

Mr Weston then withdrew the plea of not guiJty and pleaded guilty.. Davidson had paid no attention to the warning simply because he had previously been licensed and did not recognise the official capacity of Waldron. He was fined £10 upon the first charge and was ordered to pay the costs of the other information.

V. Grellis pleaded not guilty, and explained that, not being in euch a prosperous financial position as the Jockey Club, he was not able to obtain the services of such an eminent counsel as Mr Stringer, but would conduct his own case, and would prove that this was not a prosecution but a persecution.

Detective Kraetzer said that he saw Grellis betting. The witness was crossexamined at some length as to whether malice had actuated his report to Mr Wanklyn. He denied that he had ever received a bribe from a Mr Scott. , V. Grellis stated that he had made no bets as a bookmaker. He had invested £15 upon the New Zealand Cup on the " accursed machine " caJled the totalitsator, which was teaching women and children to bet. He had only entered the names of the first and second h ore-os and* the dividends upon them. His Warship said that the evidence was not enough to convict on. The charge would be dismissed. *