FOR THE TOTALISATOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 884, 2 August 1910, Page 5

FOR THE TOTALISATOR.

■ ■■ ■-■■' "■;'■;■: ■.;.;*.'■;,"";. :'.*-— —-..;'..'. ■..■■ -.'■ :>' AUCKLAND DEPUTATION. V. THE': PRIME'.MINISTER'S BEPLT.v; V: ''■■'.■ (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ... ■';-''.'. .-; ;': : ;'■ /■;,■■'■■■'.■■'.' Auckland, Augnst .I.' , •"'•-: .. The caee. for-the Racing and Trotting '\ ; CJuW. in regard to-the of the :■'.' ; abolition .or reduction of. the totalisator v permits- was represented to the Prime •! Minister :(Sir-Joseph-rWard) by. a large ■ ■'■ deputation wbiph. waited up'on : him to--;rday. - : -;-: : -,■■■■'■' .:.;--^:.;" M ;.': The.Hon. E,-. Mitchclson (president of : : the' Auckland Racing- Club), who was the ■ : £rst speaker, referred tojthe serious,effect '..that the abolition or substantial,reduction ;of ;the number of totalieator permits would have upon the eiubs.'; He alluded ; :to the and said ,th.at, - with/, the \ exception. of the. first . , : meeting".after .the passing; of the Act of. 19iW; : his club 'hud always obtained th- '•-',- ports, from ;the ..police regarding:, appli.::cants for:,-licenses. The:: lact'/.that u -, great'many undesirables .and :)i6olcmak- '.-. ere had flocked into: the country, und .'• .' had worked the races for their, iiwn ends, 'had led to "this creation'of a large,number, of unregistered meetings, v A istiiking msiaiHii! oil lliis hail occurred in thp : JSorthern .AVuirda; where tho advent of : . tlie .bookmaker had led to the .formation ;'-: of six' If tne .. totalisator clubs considered-- r the ' from,.tliß ,:finaucial aspect • they■> would : : say:-' "Itetuiii '. the, bookmaker," . as' 'tie ■ amount .received .'in leesi -from: the latter. ■ : was muru thai could be made up by . ,means:.of the. totalisator. • Tho totaliia- ; .tor; was a'.silent, machine, which did not .-..■'•' niTe credit or iiheouragu people ,to bet,. -~• Last 'year- the' Auckland Club hail'paid • -0629,215 in :: stakes,., and, in' addition ...'.' to\ this, ■■ -it ;■ had ;iexpended .•in ivnges ami' 1 salaries, .material aud ''•'. gouerul; improvements. ..'Thbyabolitibn of : vr.tuu-.totalisator'would'hbt .only, .mean the ; . .reduption of the amount. • annually' dis- ■ ■'•' .bursed by/the club,'but it would : .also 'mean tho throwing'out of "employment ,' Vof a- largo-:.nupbcr;. 'of ■.per«m's'-:-now en- 1 ■ : gaged in,bruediiig' and training.establish- :..: miints. Thn"■■ Auckland,'Cliili':-had-- a•" fine ■•■ property.at Ellerslie (probably, the best in . :Kew..Zealand); .and it. was spending:, a :-, .large, sum ot money on it:in .order ■ to- '■■;' ninke •. ijf allractivo'. to . the . p'ublic: .' A ■>' lnfge\numb,ei; of'-pepplo who .never 'went '-.:■ to races;,visited. the course on..Sundays :. : ,-and:otlier:,dajrS,'and..the course was thus, in mniiy.,;respects,7 n' public .phrk.. : The :.' Biiburban cluf)s were, in.a .smaller ..way, v, following-. tiiV same.' policy...' He "also ■■:': pointed put that,the-metropolitan club, as : well-assevoral of the,"suburban-, clubs,' , ..-had-incurred : liabilities two of. three: .;:;■ years'.in;advance by offering large- stakes ■ lor -their' classic events. ..-;.<, . ; . ~: ■■•Jlr: v E.' : ;W..' Alison,, who■:. spoke : -as a. .metropolitan, and country ,representative '..as :well 'as. president,'of the Takapuna '~.Club, said.that, if..the totalisator permits .were cut down by one-half or appreciably ~cut,ddwn, it would inflict:agreat injustice' '~ upon a,.number of. clubs,'.and, "in ad:,:.Qition,.a large-number of them would be .;■ wiped put,of existence. .If the Govern:meht intended to obliterate racing, let the ■.7 poßition:be made dear. If racing, how-i '.":■..' over, .was to continue, the clubs should . -not be deprived, by. too restrictive legislation, .of-.; the means of carrviug: on ■.',.- 6uccessfully..He agi-eecbthat there was - too much, racing, but, there' wero asniaiiy :■■■.- or morCjTtgistered and unregistered meetings .as there were, totalisator ' meetinss. :; In the. Auckland district :tho .totalisator" ':,; clubs. liod u about3S.days'..racing 'in the ..... year, aud,he held-that this was not too • -much, for: the, district's size lin ,i p Opn i a . ;.. : !.tion. ; 111 computing 'the raco : days, the : .-registered and j unregistered'clubs should' ■'■ : "-v ! •?I ? '' , «>i"»i ;v ■-.norisidora'.tioii, unu the .'.; limitation of-totalisntor! permits and race .. -days to.totalisator clubs should be based /.upon the .reduction-of racing as a whole '"■.•".-■The;.Prime''Minister, in his reply, said - that ir, l a ! ,i l f,|.;< <J w , l( ,]rtho Government -~ is public'oDinion that'-they had to ~ reckon with in thismatter.' -florse-racii- -■ wn S n OB v* cf ' f ? 0 -' fin(isfc ■■"' «>« ■'•'■iJi'f °?" lct of the meetings had : lod, to. complaints, on'the part of people ?K°- w™i' n l, U , nWemll / t0 " Hie. sport. .Iho Act of 1907 had nonnned" the bettinlargely^to the" racecourses,. but. the: "10^ discrmiinatey, and, in. some .instances, tne.-matter. had. Un pointed (iut by .tho Kpiitablft class of. bookmakers;'.. Tlip out- . como.of ail this had I,een th e aHtction to ~ do away with the bookmakers altogether"' . .-The .question, to'■ be, considered, in coniiephon".with. the.coming, legislation wns: - hovr far would a reduction nf.the totalieator permits interfere with le»itimnt« raciiigij , During the past racin| ...there had been' 308 racing daj-s with . .totalisator permits. In addition there ..were .other TegfetCTMl, clubs- responsible :■:-. for.-over The 4, with V. the and. proprietary clubs made n -total of about 750 days' raoina in : . the year, .- •■'.•• . -.. ■ b Speaking! apart from.any sentimental :■ , aspect, it was evident -f.hat, if allowed to go on, this must mean (except to the few who might'benefit directly or indirectly) simple; ruination. , '. ■It ~was mideniablo that they must go in for a grer.t. rtduc-: uon in the number,of days of raciii", both registered and uhvesistercd. The individual position "of dubs,could not be considered, but tho. Government's , pro- ■ posals would, be carefully framed with a -..Tipw to tic. country as weir as the town aspect. :•■ riie Governmnnt was to .approach the matter from b .-practical rather Hiaiia sentimental standpoint. Mr. .Mitcholson: Will the »elubs have an opportunity of porusinj! the B'll? ■ Sir Jowph Wr.nl: The':Bill will pro- . - bably to leferrtd to a committee to take '■' evidence upon; 1 ■ . '.'■' '■ _