MAORI BOOKMAKER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 33, 4 October 1946, Page 5

MAORI BOOKMAKER

HEAVY FINE IMPOSED OPERATIONS AT TE TEKO A fine of £SO was imposed upon Rupe Rikihana in the Whakatane Police Court yesterday, when he pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying on the business of a bookmaker at Te Teko on September 27 last. The charge was brought by the newly appointed Maori Warden, W. Park. Messrs. L. H. Brown and C. S. Armstrong, J.P.s, were on the bench. The point at issue in this specific case was that defendant, who pleaded guilty and had nothing to say, was not cloaking his calling in the usual way by running a more legitimate type of business, which is the common practice, and for this reason had to bear the full brunt of the more serious offence of bookmaking for which the maximum fine is laid down at £SOO or alternatively two years in gaol. Where other premises are used the charge is reduced to one involving the running of a ‘common gaming house’, with a maximum fine of ,£2OO. Under the circumstances the defendant, although as the police stated, he was only a ‘rat bookmaker’ and lived by soliciting halfcrown bets, came under the more serious heading because he did not operate from blind, premises. Sergeant Farrell, said that Rikihana was a labourer working at Matahina who filled in his spare time taking small bet-s. He was in poor circumstances with a family of four to look after. His operations were very limited. Commenting that the offence came under the more serious heading, * the bench indicated that the fine would be £SO.