POLICE IDEA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1342, 20 January 1912, Page 5

POLICE IDEA.

INSPECTOR ON BOOKMAKERS. PLAIN ENGLISH. Mr. J. W. Ellison, Inspector of Polico in tho Wellington district, stated that he had served in the local district for ten years, and iii the police force for a period of about forty years. Answering questions, Mr. Ellison said that there were many bookmakers still plying their calling in New Zealand. The law did not prohibit tho making of a single bet under all circumstances, but only penalised betting on streets and racecourses.,. In his opinion the totalisator was a far better form of betting than that with the bookmaker. The totalisator was only going on race day; The bookmaker was going all tho time. Proceeding, Mr. Ellison declared that a liking for betting was inherent in tho human race. Before the totalisator camb there was more betting, and a great deal moro drunkenness than now. The totalisator had made things better and steadier. ' Prior to tho introduction of the totalisator, people used to- put 2s. (id. or ss. per head in a hat for a sweep, and the winner shouted every time. Under these circumstances, before tho betting had gone far the whole company lVould be half drunk. The totalisator opened the way for the most honest betting possible. The machine never "stiffened" a hol'se, aiid never laid a horse known to bo "stiff." The .bookmaker would know a horso to bo "stiff" a month beforo a race, and would lay him all he could. Mr. Bruntnell asked whether the witness was aware that the class of men who had come to New Zealand from Australia until recently, and had been readily licensed as Dookinhkers, were scallywags' who had been driven from Australian courses. Mr. Ellison said that he had known four or five very decent men amongst those bookmakers. • Many, of them were no worse than the men who were already here. Mr. Bruntnell asked whether the witness knew that in Australia at present a largo number of strictly honourable men were plying tho calling of bookuniking. The Bookmakers' Limitations. Witness: I know that you iiave men who will pay everything they owe, but I don't think you liayo one that would I not "'stiffen" a horso if lie had. a chance. ■ (Laughtor.) Ho did not suggest tlmt tho introduction of tho totalisator in New South Wales would nefcessarily produce better order on the racecotirscs if they were already well-coudiicted. He did ho't think that any attempt should bo made to keep secret tho amount of betting that went on. There was a greater danger jjom hiddeh, evils than from opeii betfang. ITe saw ho reason for. prohibiting the publication .of totalisator dividends after.a race meeting. Tho prohibition was no doubt due to piessare by extremists. In his Capacity as an Inspector.of Police ho had hcnril men charged with embezzlement attribute their downfall to getting infci tho hands of the boikmakors. Jl t; had not heard tlic jouNisalor spoken of iti the same vrnv. It was (iifliciilt to assess Iho reliability of such statements by acciised men because those who mad? them might lie inspired by a desire to figure as martyrs rather than as sinners. A gpod deal had been said about women betting on the tofeilisntor, but he had seen women pushing and shoving, "breaking their necks" to get to the bookmakers, and plnoo bets of half a crown or five shillings. Tho chairman: The bookmakers, as a matter of fact, are going night and day? Witness: They do most of their betting by post, and by their touts, who go through the country. Tlw ehairmnn: iJolible betting is going on nil the lime? Witness concurred, nml stated that numbers of people sent him race cards. One had come into his hands that morning. The pcoplo who sent the cards no doubt thought tlv.it he could take action because each card bore a bookmaker's name, but. it was not easy to prove bolting. It was illegal lo print double cards, and there had boon a oonviotion for doing eo. If then worn doohk bottisg on the totaling-

tor it would almost ruin tho bookmaker uid tako Hid wind out of his sails altogether. Tho chairman remarked that a sliatonent had made by Mr. Mawn "vvliich reflected upon the police throughout the Dominion generally. lie had mid that men ivcnt■ ruinul collecting money to put it on I ™to. Did wilii-pf-s know of any «ucJx BIS 0? Witney replied that anyone doing go would be a thief nr nn unauthorised person. "Crook" Sooner or Later, Touching another question, Mr. Ellison Slid ho was perfectly isfio<l from information th.it caino to liini Unit "books" weiio made uij in many factories and similar pta»>s. The men eoneer-ied would nut fi'vo each other away. There wax profit at: all linms for the person who privately made up a "double" book. Mr. lirniifnell: Sn?ing that bookmakers al< * t 11 . 0 !' "M'shcd, do you think that it yould be wise to I hem and make it legal for them (ri bet aiivw'ioro? Witness: 1 don't think Unit there should >e any regulation abi.ut it. 1 think that tile .ess wo have, of them tin better. Answering another question, .Mr. l-lli-fon fta.id that !io would not suggest that it. was more wrong to take a bet than to make a bet, but lie di.l suggest that a man who made a business of betting generally wont "crook" sooner or later. A Horse-breeder's Views. Mr. Duncan, a director in the business of Devin and Co., owner of a studvlllll} (tlio second largest in Iscw Zealand), and a steward of the WeU JJifflou llaciiig Club, was the hoxt witness. Ho stated that, as a man who wanted to have a hot, ho wanted to have the bookmaker and the totalisalor running side by side. There was no question rii • ? , ol j! ; " 10 c ' oan i'nd fair handling of tho totalisalor. Something like 20 men would havo to bo in collusion before anything improper could be done. As a breeder of thoroughbreds ho infinitely preierred tho totalisalor to tlio bookmaker. For its size and wealth N'ew Zealand gavo extraordinarily good turf prizes. He knew that, in Sydney, under the bookmakers, excellent prizes wero given. In England tlio owners had to pay for practically everything. In the matter of prizes New Zealand compared favourably with any country in the world. his opinion most of (ho bis owners V> New Zealand ran for prize-money and for the pleasure of seeing their horses will. It was true that thero was a tendency to encourage sprinting in New Zealand as against long-distance racing. The successful sprinting'horses, however, were usually the big muscular, powerful horses. The successful long-di'tance racer was often tho horse who had not much to carry. The Kwkmnkprs whom ho had had dealings with in New Zealand ho hod found to be straightforward and honourable. To the chainuaii: ITc knew that sprinters who coidd only go at the required pace for six furlongs or so wore the best horses for steeplechnsing or going across country. Horses who won over'long distances were usually not such fine animals.