The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1886. THE TOTALISATOR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1410, 18 November 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1886. THE TOTALISATOR.

The “ machine that can’t lie ” has naturally been the subject of many newspaper articles since its introduction into this colony, and the legislative sanction to its use has been both favorably and adversely criticised. Among the sporting journals, too, we have heard a good deal of late respecting the abuse of the totalisator by Racing Clubs composed of private individuals, who conduct meetings solely for their own pecuniary gain. We quite agree in the belief that it was never the intention of the legalise such agamiog instrument for the benefit of private pockets, i e., the pockets of non-inves-tors, and we thoroughly approve of the suggestion that Parliament should be asked to restrict the use of the instrument to race meetings held under the auspices of some recognised and legitimate Club, whose principal object it is ' to provide genuine sport for the public. Through the totalisator a Racing Club is now enabled to increase the stakes attached to the winning of any event so as to effictually prevent the swindling so often perpetrated at many of the small country fixtures and race meetings held under the management of what may properly be termed “ Turf Companies.” The C.J.C. and D.J.C., and in fact most of the respectable Clubs, do return a fair proportion of the money they receive from the totalisator to owners of horses for their outlay, the whole of the balance, as a rule, being expended in course improvements for theconvenience and benefit of the sporting public. Other Clubs, or Companies, however, draw up their programmes irrespective of the interests of owners or public, and entirely with a view to personal advantage, and these bogus concerns will, we venture to assert, cause by their abuse of the machine, a revulsion of feeling that must cause some restrictive legislative action. The abuse is at present great and it will no doubt become greater. But we are not altogether satisfied with the law which allows the Metropolitan Clubs to charge the public such a targe percentage for investing. Parliament has virtually admitted, by sanctioning the use of this gambling instrument, that it is quite impossible to prevent or curtail the lottery love of this part of the British Empire, and to show that the general feeling of our law-makers is in favor of allowing a little “ harmless speculation,” it is only necessary to refer to the measure passed recently legalising small sweeps on racecourses.—lt was certainly not the intention of the Legislature to encourage people to gamble, although, unfortunately, many persons do allow their bread bills to stand over in order that they may be in a position to invest or whatever number their fancied horse may be labelled on the totalisator; nor, do we think, was it the intention of our legis lators to allow the public to be fleeced by the Racing Clubs and proprietors of machines.—Such, however, is the result of the introduction of the totalisator : The dishonest customer will fail to pay his butcher or baker in any case; the customer who intends to pay, and invests in the totalisator with that object, will also fail to do so nine times out of ten.—The odds, in sporting parlance, are against customer No. 2, who has to “plunge” less than a dozen times to lose all he may possess. —This by the way, for we are not regretting the imposition of the ten per cent commission brings the person who endeavors to pay his just debts in this manner, quicker to the end of such a certain tether. Most of the money that passes through the totalisator no doubt comes from the pockets o f the bookmakers, who are often compelled to support the machine although they cordially hate it, and a loss to this class of the community is not generally regretted.— Why the Clubs are, however, allowed to make such an all-round reduction as ten per cent., or why they do so, we cannot understood. It is really a most extortionate charge. Frequenters at race meetings have, of course, the remedy in their own hands 5 they need not invest at all, or, if they “ fancy anything ” they can deal with the “ metallicians” whose single recommendation is “ payment in full if you win.” The public will, notwithstanding other inducements, patronise the totalisator, which is, generallj, “as safe as the bank,” and frequently more prompt in paying out. It is therefore desirable, n order to secure the existence of the popular betting instrument and the consequent decrease in the ranks of the I’ll lay’ gentry,” and in order to prevent the public fleecing to which we have already referred, that the totalisator percentage should be fixed by the Colonial Secretary, who now has the power only to issue permits to Racing Clubs, without charge. In view of the extortionate fees of the Bankruptcy Department surely our Gambling Bureau should also be allowed to demand something for the cost of issuing Us licenses.