ABOLISH THE TOTALISATOR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 266, 4 August 1920, Page 8

ABOLISH THE TOTALISATOR

OB: HAS A NATION THE lUGHT TO OKIiIVE KEVENUE JfUOM THE PASSIONS OF ITS-PEOPLE?

(By "Pot and Kettle.") j Now that Parliament lias innilc such a tnndo against the bookmaker .under srino extraordinary influence, and thnt tho newspapers of the Dominion have almost universally rang the joybells of appreciation, perhaps a few remarks on gambling, in general, and the totali«tt:or in particular, by those who have different notions, jinay be somewhat interesting. Is gambling a vice ?. There are two prime passions, in human nature, of which gambling is one. No Act of Parliament can entirely suppress theso natural passions; it would be the end of the human race if it could; but. surely it is the duty of every government and every- individual to keep them in checkand within reasoaablo bounds,' otherwise they •become the root of almost cu-ry vice. Therefore, under no circumstances, should they be licensed; and can it bo right for n nation to derive revenue from the passions of its people? Gambling can bo made a vice by gambling beyond one's mCjans, or by gambling for any stake, the loss of I which will distress you,, or deprive the homo or others of anything at all, but othorwisc gambling is one- ci' the greatest pleasures in life, and can be enjoyed long after one's'eyes are too weakened for extensive reading, or for looking at movie pictures, or when pantomime, with its pretty maids, has lost its charm, and no longer fascinates. To thaw who enjoy it, there is no better entertainment or greater pleasure than a game of bridge or whist or any other game of cards, always provided that > the- less of the stakes played for will not distress you, or your winnings will-not distress tliosu with whom you have played. It can be less costly than the price of q ticket tu the pantomime, and it is- quite intellectual, besides being one of t'ho best of meu.ory trainers. The Law Against Gambling. Mr. William Howard Taft, former President of tlio United States, writes in the ''Ladies' Homo Journal" for May, 1919:- • " ■ What is true of the drinking of intoxicating liquors is true of other acts not necessarily immoral in themselves. Take for instance betting and gambling. At the common law, wagers were not unlawful and a ninn miglit'siie and recovet on a bet. The play.ng of cards is an innocent amusement, and some believe ! that it adds to the zest of a game to have a little stake on the result. ,ln England cards are rarely played if tlioro is not a small stake'. The late Mr. Justice Strong, of the Supreme Court of the United States, told me once when he was Justice of tlio Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, ho visited London ard went to call on the English Judges at AVestminster Hall. He sat .with them in court, and they took him to luncheon. After luncheon someone proposed a :übber of whist,' and invited him to join. I He said lie was a great lover of whist and a good player, and he won several ['rubbers. When he arose from the table, [ one of his hosts, alter a, little figuring, collected some shillings and half-crowiin from the other justices, and turned over to-him something like half a pound. He asked, what that was. Ono of the Judges e&id that was the result of the rubbers.

'"Why," lie .said, "gentlemen, I have never played for money in my life—it is contrary to my principles—and I must ask yuu to devote the money to some charitable purpose." They were astonished in their turn, but, of course, acquiesced. Mr. Justice Stroug said to me: "I was greatly troubled when I thought what would have been my situation had I lust without knowing that I- was expected to pay." • Of cour&>, England and this country both havo severe gaming laws and absolute prohibition of gambling houses, but very different views by .very good people are (thus entertained as to the innocenceof playing for small stakes. Akin to gambling is lottery. When our Constitution was adopted, and for years afterwards, lotteries were authorised by statute as a legitimate .instrument for tho ' raising of funds for churches, or libraries, and for many quasi-public needs. Gradually this demoralising tendency manifested itself in tho waste of money and the temptation to secure money by stealing: to chances. "l J olicy," so called, was a v local form of lottery, in which tho lowest and the poorest spent all their earnings. These results led to stringent laws. Yet thbro are civilised Christian countries in which the lottery is still used for governmental purposes. The Totalisator. What service has it been to 'the comluuuity? The old war cry about the improvement of the "race" has long since been called in. Tho "Lyttcltpn Times, in a leading article some years ago, said: "As for the influence of the totalisator, that is a matter upon which there, is siuno difference of opinion, in looking down the list of winners at Australian Jockey Club's, meeting, we cannot hud a single animal that can bo said to owe its existence to the introduction of macliiiie-betting." . L What it has done has been to erect a great number of palatial casinos in all parts of the Dominion. To those vho think that a huge gambling hell,, worked by electricity for speedy gambling, stuck in the vicinity of every big or little' township in Now Zealand is a good thing for the country, it has ccrvainly been a gigantic success. It li.'is also established the greatest Tammany that has .ever existed. flio oalettil influence- of the totalisator is felt in all phases of business lite. , Members of Parliament themselves know that at election time they feel the weight and influence of the totalisator, and _ every monitor is catechised by the officials ol the "Totalisator Protection Society, as witness the following from "Evening Star" of July 22:- , "Please Explain," ( . Tho New Zealand Sports Protection League are evidently watching Parliament closely. Among members who received "Please explain" notes from the ■ league c-u the morning following committee consideration of tho 'iaining Bill was Hr. Howard (Cliristchuroh South), who was asked to explain why he voted with Mr. Isitt for the prohibition of the totalisator-in view of I hi! fact that he informed the Christchnrch branch of the league before his election that he would oppose any curtailment of the statutory privileges in connection with sport. Mr. Howard's reply to tho league's secretary is:-''l willingly, and wilfully voted in favour of the curtailment of certain concessions granted to racing clubs in sympathy with tho Jockeys' Association, and 1 would vote to close thorn altogether unless they treat tlieso men fairly-and give them the same recognition as is graute.l to other trade unionists. Apart from this trouble I. stand by my previous reply to you." No "doubt other members that disobey will be brought to tho torture rack. Is it not lime that members of Parliament of all colours formed a union to protect .t-hemselvea frcm the "Totalisator Protection Society?" : The handling of such huge sums of money by irresponsible bodies is a positive danger to the community, and each year it is getting such a grip that it will become liarder and harder to get out of its dutches. Do it now! Character. The greatest asset a country can havo is'character. It is difficult to imagine an institution that will undermine character like the totalisator. Tho soll'-in-lerest in the fact that the fewer Ihe "investments" on the horse one is bucking, and tho greater the "investments" on the other horses means a' ; larger dividend, is the cause of much lying and deceit. It is some years since tho li.icing Conference became ashamed of pu'iilisiiing the names of disqualified persons, and for tho sake of ihe country it is just as well. At that timo thero was a list of over a hundred persons disqualified by racing clubs, nnd a considerable number cf trotting, clubs. The sentences ranged from 'life" for corrupt practices to "during pleasure" for breach of rules. In addition there were 350 defaulters to racing clubs and sixty-seven to trotting clubs

'flint list k probably greater Hum that of all the non-totalisit.tor .racing clubs in the world coinhinoil. That slwii'd maku one doubt i-luit <ho lolalwlinr is a "h'.'iii." Horso-Gambling. An extract from an article in Iho '•Bulletin," JuJy 1, IMO, by Henry Horeeeollor:— Ilmsc-rnaiiig—or nither_ liorse-gnnibling, beevmso llio ivice itself is no moro important than the extempore effort of

-, ■ • , , . , two dogs to see the same cat safely round the corner—is the only national vice which leads to long, frequent, «nd expensive stoppages of work. Every town worth calling one has its recognised race-days, though not its drink-days or two-tip days or days set $ apart for profanity. The' business takes up an absurd amount of .valuable spaco, which lies idle most of the time. There is room for about 10(1,000 poker games on ono big racecourse. It is absurdly fussy. A supreme horee event is heralded by months of morbid excitement, dull, but lieatfd, conversation interspersed with blanky, and much tangled tinanee, and in the end it lasts 3J minutes. Not nil tho other subjects under the sun lead to so much dull conversation or raise such a crop of mental cripples as racing; in fact, it produces a vast herd of young men who can talk of nothing else. It has interrupted their education land stunted their faculties until they are unlit to lie trusted with a vote or the caro of a teething infant. '. The Racing Conference, Sir George Clifford, chairman of the Racing Conference (who personally is sohonourable a man that bookmakers always feel confidence in fielding on : a lace in which he has a horse running) each voar makes a stereotyped spescli on the iniquities of the bookmakers.. He never makes any specific charge against them, but just in a general way makes statements that they are bad, and tho machine is good, and that the publio should "invest" on the tntalisator and not gamble with the bookmaker?. For rncehorse owners he makes rules to that effect, but Sir George is obses-ed with lite idea that anything lie is interested in is for the good of the country, and not fcr the good of Sir-George. We can .rcmcnibor when he got up and spoke in the director of a meat company and invoked the farmers to deal with that particular company, because it was started for patriotic purposes. He gave a very similar speech as director of a shipping company, and shipping companies don't get credit for being charitable institutions Anyway, the writer asks his readers not to pay much attention to what Sir George Clifford says in favour of tho totatisator.

Rev, J. J, North and Hon. G, J, Anderson The Rev. J. J.' North hasVen putting: himself very much in the limelight on this burning question, but for tho moment he can only see the immorality of bookmaking. Now, as a prohibitionist, if he'were to say: "The time is'not yet for prohibition, bu£;l'am against, any increase m licenses, and I nni determined to shut up all sly grog-shops," '.that would seem so illcgical that Jus genuineness would' bo questioned. Yet that is practically his attitude on tho totalizator. When the writer tells you that somo time back he was running to' the Ijookmakers for information and data to assist him in his sermons to rcvilo tho tote, one should not pay much attention- to Mr. North.

• The reference to sly-grog shops nar be misleading, inasmuch as it may givo one tho idea that betting or bookniiiklnc . is illegal. This is not tho case, though the portents ■ are .ominous. . s In'cspcctivc.of tho fact that Hon. (J. J. vAnderson, in his reply to Mr: Wilfowl,- said one was legal and the ether ' was not, booktnaking is just as legal as the totalisator, or printing a newspaper. Each are surrounded 'with restrictions. Certainly the bigger fenco is around the "book," but- for all that Jit is cuifo legal, albeit the newspapers -continually nay that it is not. England has the purest and most honest racing on tho plajiet. The owners , there-'practically race for their tun money. Bookmakers there pay no license. Thore can be no doubt that Ihe English racing people would look askance ut ,stakes partly made up from license-money taken- from bookmakers, just us they would from money derived from tho gambling machine. > DoublesThe great lever used to make the present- Bill now before Parlisment look righteous is that bookmakers are mostly making double books, and that after _ tho first event, they would not stop at trifles lo prevent a horse winning in the second event to save their making a loss on their book. In other words, they would pay the owner or trainer or jockey h 6uilicieoit sum of money to make U worth his while to lese, instead of win. This is surely a dreadful statement to make, and retlects just as much on' tho racing man as it does on the bookmaker. Would anyono expect to hear such a statement made in England, or t -nywhere else where racing is carried on without the totalisator? The writer thinks not. Just 'here, he would like to say that most of his friends nro racing men, and •that they are honourable men. Other than thoso there is a vast number he dees not know personally, but with each of whom one could transact btsir.ess on a large scale just on his whispered word. He mentions this, because if ho had said or piay say things in a general way that might hurt, lie wants it understood that/ in no case does it apply to those that he knows, and thosoothers that he would like to know, lo hark back to the doubles: If a bookmaker was disposed to do what is attributed to him, it- would bo impossible. To begin with, no bookmaker- is allowed on the courso, and there is no wireless. There are only three or four doubles in the year that a day-intervenes bstween the events, nnd 90 per cent, ore run on the samo day. In mest cases the second event is run almost before the' Ixinkniaker has heard the result of the fret event. In a field of say ten hbrses in n second event the liooknmkcp. would have an'average of from five to seven iroiiiß against him, nnd if he could therefore pick the likely 'winner it; •■ould lie a much simpler plan to back it than to try and stop it from winning. But ill any, case, is it not more likely that if tho-majority of bookmakers have laid a hoiso to any great extent in a fccoim event, that most of, such wagers' ore held by the stable connection? Assam- . ing that to be correct, which is tho most likely thing -to happen-that the. combined bookmakers, who arc al in s different parts of the country, would at- - tempt to stay that animal, or, on tho other hand, that those on the sceno of action, with the wagers to play with, would try to make it as easy as pos- ■ eible for a win? ' • ~. , Investments on the Totalisator, This appcarrto be raiher an l.pside down 'investment. As generally understood, ~an investment is to so place your capital that you will got a periodical return for Your money. Certainly, for every iICO.OOO put into the totalisator it returns a dividend of .£12,500 awl seme trimmings by wav of a bonus, but tho other fellow gets the dividend, not *hoso that invest the capital. Now, if any of the newspapers; wilS the good of tho. country at heart, instead of reporting that such an' amount was invested on the totalisator were to report' truly as follows:—"For the Grand National week .1200,000 was gambled on the totalisator, beating last year's great gamble, which was then a record by 40,000 soys, x'hnt might make- tho people think. In any case, the present legislation is, only a i cover to shadow the greater evil, jlio totalisator charges the public more for , one week's gambling than would hup all the bookmakers in New Zealand in affluence for a year. It is purely a ws» ol straining at a gnat nnd swallowing •» totalisator, and can easily bo considered the greatest "camouflage" in the history of the country. On a previous occasion when si me ' drastic legislation was before Parliament, the "Lyttelton Times," in «n article, said:—"The public can no longvr bo deceived by drawing line distinctions between one 'form of bating and another. They know-when examined flora, a strictiv moral staudiioiiit, they nro equally foolish and vicious. The main difference appears to be that under oao system the gamblers' money liuds lla wav into the pockets of tho bookmaker*, and under the other into the pocket* of a few wealthy horse-owners. Tim latter is perhaps, on gouciv.l grounds, ■the loss of liwo evils, but its advantages nro not groat enough to rccoucilo tho public to n positive injustice." Mr. Thomas.Dick, who first made tho totalisator legal, regretted it for alio icet of his life. Sir Robert Stout, who, whilst a member of Parliament, protected tho totalisaiDr more than any other man, iiow'Vjwails its enormous gambling capacity. Don't allow this "racing Parliament"— save, the mark—to douiinato the People's _ Parliament. It is an axiom that Judges know tho Jaw, but thiM' juries .know the moral of tho law. Yet you are inviting.them tt> invest in the totalisator, and then send a follow-citizen to gaol for two years for making t\Jio eamo investment on tha awne horso with an individual. (Published by Arrangement)