BETTING AND HOTELS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 833, 3 June 1910, Page 6

BETTING AND HOTELS

POLICE REPORTS. STATEMENT BY A MAGISTRATE. LICENSED VICTUALLERS ASSOCIATION TAKES ACTIOX. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Christchurch, June 2. Speaking at the annual mooting of the Christchurch Licensing .Committee today, Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M. (chairman of the committee), .said that before applications for removal of licenses were considered, ho wanted to deal with one aspect of the conduct of certain houses —lie did not intend to specify them— which had arisen in connection with police reports. It was stated in the reports that bookmakers frequented hotels on race days, and made use of tho premises for betting purposes. In dealing with the matter, he wanted to say that he, aud the committee thoroughly appreciated the action of the licensees of the United Service and City Hotels, for it showed a proper spirit and a proper appreciation of their responsibilities as licensees. When the police drew their attention to this serious blot on the trade they promptly accepted the position and put a stop to the practice, and their action in the matter stood out very handsomely. With regard to other houses, which he was not going to name, live objections had been lodged concerning the practice of bookmakers frequenting hotels for betting purposes. When- he received the police reports lie saw tho matter was olio that required prompt treatment, aud he took ■ the Licensed Victuallers Association into his confidcucc, for he wanted to know whether that body appreciated the seriousness of the position. The association at once grasped the position, and as a result of this consideration of the matter lie received a letter from the secretary stating that the association desired unanimously to express their entire sympathy with the views of the magistrate and police on the question of bettrng in hotels, and pledged itself to uso the utmost effort to ensure the law being strictly observed. Nothing, ' continued 1 Mr. Bishop, could be more straightfor- ! ward and satisfactory than that assurance, and it strengthened his hands enormously, for he felt he had the trade behind him. He then suggested that the association should deal with the matter rather than he should, and the association had accordingly communicated with the owners, mortgagees, and licensees of eacli hotel affected, and he had received ■ from those persons individually assurance in the most ample terms that the difficulty would bo met and tho practice, if it existed, would be put a stop to. Of course he would not expect people to do impossibilities, and he knew there might be difficulty in carrying out the undertaking, but he was quite satisfied with the assurance that each licenseo would do his best to put a'stop to what was a serious abuse. Betting had been carried on to such an extent in the street as to attract public attention, and an attempt had been made by the police to put a stop to the practice. The attempt failed in certain respects unfortunately, not everybody being in sympathy with it, but the police found that certain hotels were being used by certain bookmakers as a cover for their business" . He knew that certain licensees had scruples as to how far they would be justified in putting a stop to the frequenting of their houses by bookmakers. He was not going to say for one moment that bookmakers would not be entitled to. demand and receive accommodation and refreshment from licensed publicans, who existed for that purpose, but immediately a licensee had any reasonable ground for believing that accommodation and refreshment were being sought as a cover for the carrying on of an illegal practice, then he was fully justified in refusing to receive or serve him. Betting now was illegal; if carried on elsewhere than on the' racecourse, and it would be a sorry thing indeed if hotels were to lend themselves as a cover for a most undesirable section of the' community to carry on business-that affected tho well-being of the community. He had no wish or intention to preach a sermon about gambling, but one could not hide from oneself the fact that gambling was now being carried on to a considerable extent, and all thinking men must realise it was a very serious-evil at the present day. It was almost an anachronism that those who indulged in gambling themselves recognised the evil results to the community, and deplored tho extent of the vice. Holding the opinion he did, that gambling was a sort of moral cancer, he should be extremely sorry if ho thought that publicans were covering tho acts of those bookmakers—harpies, as he believed them to be-*by virtue of. their licenses. lie did not believe for one moment that any respectable publican would desire that.