The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER S0UTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1906. ANTI-GAMBLING LEGISLATION.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8069, 1 December 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1906. ANTI-GAMBLING LEGISLATION.

The eyes of all interested in the restriction of the gambling proclivities of the nation are at the present time fixed on Victoria, which lias taken very definite steps to limit the indulgence of her people in one of theii favourite vices. Gambling, it must be admitted, has secured a much stronger hold on the community in Australia than it so far lias in New Zealand, and the legislation that the Victorian Government deemed necessary to grapple with the evil would not in its entirety find favour in New Zealand. The \ ictorian Government seems determined to prohibit betting altogether, as far as legislation can accomplish that etui. Legal members of the Government, however, point out that there is much misconception as to the scope of the bill with regard to betting. If the bill becomes law in its present form it will be possible to bet wherever it is possible to bet now, except that betting clubs and places used principally for betting, such as bookmakers' shops and gambling chilis, will be declared common gaming houses. If in a hairdresser's saloon, for instance, theie is a little betting, the bill as il stands will nut affect it, but if betting is the principal thing done and the hairdressing is a " blind," the shop caii bt ;.!"clared a common gaming house. Pi ),d(> (.ay !>et with their friends as they do now and J hey can bet in the ordinary way at the racecourse, but not in bookmakers' offices, gambling shoos or clubs, or on totalisators. The prohibition against dealing in sweep tickets is limited to paid agents, and it will be no offence to get tickets in TaUersall's provided the agent who buys or sells them does not receive any consideration for so doing. The service must be friendly, and in Ith present form the bill uims at destroying the wholesale business of buying anil selling sweep tickeiij Horse racing is placed under severe as regards the number of meetings permi.led, and all courses must, be licenced. The bill, since its tirst appearance, has been w.yilif : ed in several directions, but it enugtu the .. osl determined and effective attempt u> deal with a difficult subject that has yet been made in the colonies.

RIFLE CLUBS. A i'Ai(Ai;i!Apii appeared in our columns the other day indicating the probable establishment of a rifle club in Hamilton. It is notorious that, valuable as the volunteer movement is, it fails to absorb the energies of large numbers of our young and middle-aged men, owing to the difficulty they find in regular attendance at drill. The value of rifle clubs its a moans of stimulating a healthy public interest in national defence has been demonstrated over and over again. Lord Roberts is a most enthusiastic supporter of the movement. He looks to the popularisation of rifle clubs doing what conscription is said to do for the European nations. And it must be confessed, unless this interest is awakened, we may in a few short years be face to face with a very ugly position. Tho now Powers j rising in the Far East, both Japan j and China, may offer a menace to the British type of civilisation, and we must be prepared, with every means , at our command, to defend our island home against all the assaults of its enemies. Let us hope the crisis may never arise. But let us be leady for any emergency; anil one way to be ao itj to support with our best energies the establishment of rifle! clubs in our midst. Locally flumovement will have a special sr/in- | ficance, when we recall the recent. formation here of the Empire and National Service League. Captain | Bell's work in that connection cannot I be too highly praised. He has in- j fused fresh life into what should be a democratic movement, and the Auckland League, in joining hands with Hamilton, enlarges its scope and puts it on a. national footing. Just as in Britain to-day 1L 'jjaldane the Minister of War, seeks to -u popn larise the volunteer niuvement as to produce a nation in arms, we in New Zealand should strive to win every j

able-bodied man. young or otherwise, to take an interest in national defence. The proposed establishment of n local rifle club is a healthy sign. I here arc already one hundred and twenty s.ieh chilis in the colony, and in its modest, way it will prove one further step forward in the vital 4uesti.nl of national safe! v.