GAMBLING TO BACK DOOR OF MAORIS

Chronicle (Levin), 1 April 1947, Page 5

GAMBLING TO BACK DOOR OF MAORIS

AUCKLAND, March 31. The .case for picjiie raeing activities was begnn before the Royal Oommis«ion on (Gaming when the Commission opened its Auckland sittijigs today. Mr. .Justice Finlay presided and- had with him Mr. J. W. Heenan and Mr. W. il. Freeman, S.M.. An application to conduct purely' amateur meetings with an .equalis.ator trom which club funds were deducted, was made by the Cambridge Pienic Raeing Club. Evidence was given by -the elub's honorary secrethry, Mr. A. R. Batchelor, that Jjorses entered at sueh meetings had to be trained, owned and ridden by aniateurs. They were mostly owned by farmers.' Under the equalisa.tor scheme there were books of tickets with nunibers corresponding to those allotted to the horses in the raee book. The tickets were shuffled and (sold f'aee down. There was no clioice of tieket. Each sweep was limited to £5 and tlje ; club had, at most, 11 sweeps on one ra.ee, tio far no attempt had beeii made : by bookmakers to operate at sueh meetings. The reai motive behind the inceptiun of picnie raeing clubs was the ; promotion of interests among the : younger inembers of the rural communities in tlie care and attention of ; animals. Permission for holding flve shilling totalisator meetings was sought on behalf of a number of North Auckland Pienic Raeing Clubs Ity Mr. H. F. Guy who said it was felt picnie raeing clubs could take a very big hand in making ; .decent recreational centres available tothe public. Bigger meetings in country .districts would encourage the breeding : of better horses. TJie ehairman, Mr. Justice Finlay, said up to the present northern Maori3 had a v.ery limited opportunity ot; gambling and there was the question : whether faciliti.es slionld be taken to their baek door and what the effect j would be. There were organisatio.ns vvhose primary interest was the welfare of the Maoris and they should be given an opportunity "to state their views. Questioned by Mr. Heenan, Mr. Guy : said the people in the north eould get aceommodated by bookmakers. He be lieved the Maoris ' ' knew their way around. ' ' The prosident of the Northland Raeing Club, Mr. E. Morrette, gave evidence supporting an application for a flve shillings totalisator at Kaikohe. The ehairman said picnie meetings were one thing but fully developed race meetings" were another proposition. What the Commission was concerned about was whether this was the thin end of the wedge.