BOOKMAKERS AND 'PHONES

Chronicle (Levin), 15 April 1947, Page 5

BOOKMAKERS AND 'PHONES

-press ' Association

P. & T. WORKERS DO NOT WANT ITmLGKAIffiED BETS/

jy i elegrapn-

AGCKLAND, April 14. "It has beeii suggesbed Liiai tlie Bosi Office sliouid tane aeiion to depriVe telephone tacihties lor aliy person sils pecieU. of carryuig oji tne business Oj a bookmaker. if, however, the Bosi Ohice were to tane action to depriVe a .person of these faeiiities on iiearaa^ or suspieion, it vvouRl be aeting con trary to tlie principles of Britisn jus lice wluch hoius a person unioeent o^ nn offence against the law until proved goiity" by n Oourt ot Justice. " Tlus stateinelit was made to the Gam ilig Ooiuiiussion today by the riirectoi Generai of the Bost and Telegraph De partrnent, Mr. B. N. Cryer. He said there seemed to be some opinion tiiai the department should resort to listen ing or ceiisorship to detect cases oi bookmaking. To this the departmeui was strongiy opposed. It was convuie ed that any such action, even if directed against bookmakers alone, would undermine the conlidence of the public in the whole communications system. li a person were convicted on a charge oi bookmaking, it was the praetice when the premises involved were in the bdsi ness stntus, to. withdraw all telephone.^ used by the convicted person. In a cast in which the telephone was used foi special domestic xjurPoses, it was the praetice to vvarn the lessee that if the telephone premises were again in volved in a bookmaking conviction, the telephone service would be withdrawn. Any proposal for, off-course betting involving extensive telegraphing oi bets to racecourses, will not be sup liorted by the exeeutive of the New Zealand Bost and Telegraph Employees Association and Officers' Guild. Submissions to this effect were mdde* by Mr. G. A: Wilkes,.Postmaster, Wel lington Enst, and President of the As soeiatioii, tb thb Gonnnission. The rea sons for this attitude were stated to bi the urgent neeessity for reducing tluamoblit of telegi'ajohic business 011 Ui'days fco h iiliiiitlntin and the undesira bility of ihti'odueilig any scheme result ihg iti the iliany young members of the Telegraphic Eiupidyees ' Associatioh be idg broiight into an atmosphere 01 gambling. - - - Statiiig that many branches of the Pclst Office service were seriously short staffed, Mr. Wilkes said one of the dif ficulties of recriiiting Staff was the neeessity for Satui'day work. Staffs throughout. the country were pressing strongiy fol' a redhetion of Sattil4aj! Work. His association would cooperatb tO the niaxilniim iii pi'.Oviding essential sei'vices 011 Saturdays but betting tele grams were not within tliis categoi'y.