A TOTALIBATOR CASE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 122, 9 February 1918, Page 9

A TOTALIBATOR CASE

MONEY RUNG UP LATE RACING CLUB. SECRETARY IN COURT By TeleErapli.-l'resß Association. Christchurch, February s. A case of considerable interest was heard at the Magistrate's C° m ' t ™" day before Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, S.ai. The defendant was W. H. E. Wanklyn, secretary of the Canterbury f^ e \ Club, and the charges werc;-W on November 10, 1917, '>-. Baccarton bring an officer of the Cauteibury Jockey Club, be did unlawfully peimit an investment, to wit the sum or C2O, to be received on the totalisatar in respect of a certain horse, nameo. Cast Iron, in a certain race, namely, tlio Middleton Hurdles Handicap after the time notified by the said Jockey Club for the starting of tlio said lace; (2) that he did take into account m the calculation of the dividend the said sum of £20, which investment was not publicly registered in accordance with the provisions of the Gaming awl Lotteries Act, 1908. . Chief Detective M'llvene.y said that on November 10 lie was on duty at Riccarton Racecourse. Tlio first race was the Middleton Hurdle Handicap, limed to start at 12.30 p.m., but the actual starting time, according to the racecourse clock, was 12.44 p.m. He made a note of the investments publicly registered on the inside of totalisator on each horse, and .when he had finished making notes the race was half finished. At that time the investments on Cast Iron were shown at £242. After taking these notes witness walked towards ,the winning-post. Tho race was won liy Don Francisco' ajid Cast Iron was second. Witness returned to the paddock, and found that during his absence £20 had been put on Cast Iron, making a total of C 262. The grand total had also been increased by £20. The alteration had evidently taken placo between the time whon the horses had gone half a mile and the declaration of the dividends. AY. H. E. AVauklyn, secretary of tv Canterbury■ Jockey Club, said that he had taken great interest in the totalisator with a view to making it a perfect machine. During the whole of the time that he had had anvthmg to do with tho totalisator ho had never known tho public to be defrauded. Tho club might lose money, but the public could not. It was an impossibility for a swindlo to be work- , cd on the public. The computation of tho dividend was made .when tho whir dow closed—not at the end of the race. Before' tho race started, tho amount lakon at the windows had been reckoned, and even if money were paid in after the raco started it would not affect tho public, but tho club. There was no possibility of windows beingopen after tho start of a race. The mistake in this caso must have bccii made by a man at ono of the windows. After it had been discovered'it had been duly corrected on each board. All money placed against .Cast Iron's name had heen received in the totalisator boforo tho windows were closed. The correct number should have been up before the race started, hut it was often a human impossibility to do this, and when a mistako was made it was rectified as soon as possible. Every- operation of the machine had-two or three, checks on it, and no one in the totalisator took part in two operations. It would bo rather wonderful if tho grand total wcro balanced up without error at first, but this (lid not affect tho amount of monoy paid in by tho public or the amount paid out in dividends. He could say definitely that no monoy was received for Cast Iron or any other borso after the windows wcro closed down. Tho first information was dismissed, and a fine of twenty shillings and costs, was imposed on tho second charge.