Gambling Swindle Attempt, Says. S.M.

Chronicle (Levin), 10 December 1949, Page 7

Gambling Swindle Attempt, Says. S.M.

AUCKLAND, Dec. 9. Refusing to believe t'hat two ' ' bydney sharks" came to Auckland and persuaded two locai men lo run a sweopBtake an the next Auckla'nd Cnp iior which the first prize was to be £5b,9Ub, Mr. M. C.- Astley. S.M., m the Police Court today said ne regarded Waltej William Gordon as the chief instigator and fined him £150 on a charge of commencing a lottery. The magistrate, on a similar charge fined Daniel Cyri? Pieids, a w«.terside worker, £50. Dotn , pleaded guilty. The police stated they learnt in August that a prospectus was circulating in New Zealand intimatmg that 'bportsman's Lnterprises, Sydney," offered on the Auckland Cup 200,000 tickets at £1 each. The latter was to be drawn m one of three halls in byaney. The police aseertamed that notone of these halls had been booked tor such an event. Agents to sell the tickets were reeruited by Gordon, who was managing directof of a company known as ' ' ln formation Please. " ' Gordon told the detectives that in May two tnen named Benjamin anu "X" asked him to make a survey anu paid him £182 as part of his services. Fields told the detectives that at the June' race. meeting at Ellerslie a man giving the naine of Cox approac.hed hiin and asked if he would act a& mastei subseribers ' agent and later posted eir eulars from Sydney. The police said Gordon and Fielci= were both married. Gordon had pre viously been in trouble, but Fields was a first offender. Defence counsel said Gordon rtad Jost heavily, the.printing and travelling expenses alone totalling £654. "It is quite apparent this was an attempt at a gambling swindle," the magistrate said. "The suggestion that in this scheme t'alls on deaf ears so t'ar as I am concerned. I also think Go-- , don and Co did all they could to conceai two Sydney men were the ringleaaers j information from the police."