POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1111, 17 August 1883, Page 4

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE.

Through our Exrlitwyes. Tn the comae of tire on tlm fhimingaml Lotteries Bill Mr Fish mill ill it. “he did not. think the Bill iM-nt far enough. It ought to li ve AContiiinecl a clause prohibiting the use up the totalis,itor altogelh'r, for there ■was no doubt, in his mind at least, that the totalise tor was the most per* iiicious form of gambling that ever ■existed Any person who had visiteu ?iny of the large lacecour-es must have been shocked to see the way in which people struggled and tore each other’s clothes oif their hacks in order to get iieai enough to invest in the machine, to did not hesitate to say that in fome of the large centres of population there was more money spent in tlm shape of ■discount paid to the person in charge of the totalisator than was lost and won under the old system of hnokmaking. And the totalisator had not abolished that pernicious form of gambling known as bookmaking. The I ookrnakers weie as lively find energetic as usual, tholigh perhaps tiiey did not do quite so much biisim ss in the old way. But they gnt what was called the tip, and they ■simply planted on the totalisator ; so that people who did not know us much as these gentlemen were simply defrauded by their putting so much as L"0 LlO, or LSO on a certain horse, while the general public did not know what was going on. Then, as to the ■consultations which the Bill attacked, that was another most pernicious form ot gambling, for it induced youths, and •even young girls, to go into sweeps who woukl never otherwise go into anything of the kind. These were all preiiicious forms of gambling, and it struck one as being strange that the Legislature should sanction the use of the totalisator, and yet prohibit a harmless sweep on a racecourse.” The report of the Cheep I nspector shows the number of sheep m the Colony to be : Auckland counties, 456,889 ; Kapier counties, 2,097, /34; New Plymouth County, 18,817 ; Wellington counties, 1,467,898; Nelsou ■counties, 111,578 ; Mailborough counties, 7 2,12 i ; Amuri (Waiau) County, 433,694 ; Canterbury counties, 3,562,145 ; Westlanu counties, 1,435; Otago counties, 3,5 1 5,779 ; i grand total, 12,408,106. On the 31st March last there were 206,584 diseased sheep in the Colony, viz., in Auckland, 231 ; Wellington, 30, 579 ; Nelson, 4,174 ; Marlborough, 147,6u0; anil Amuri, 24,000. Mr 41 ut.bison, in Committee on the Licensing Bill, moves an amend mart to the effect that towns and i orouglis be constituted oue Licensing distiict each.

Sir George Whitmore waxed anecdotal yesterday in the Legislative Council during the passage through Committee of the Destitute Persons .Act Amendment Bill, while the amendment, being a new clause brought up by Dr Menz os, was being discussed. The clause had for its object the levying of a reasonable sura of money, according to the circumstances of the parties interested, on the putative father of a child born out of Wedlock. Bir George objected to the clause, as he considered that it would lie found that the wrong horse would be fr< fpient y saddled lie said he had heard that once upon a time there lived in London a, worthy, benevolent and wealthy old gentlemen, and who became the victim of no fewer than 250 youthful mothers of intelligent children. These designing women, knowing that his bump of benevolo.me was largely developed, and being aware that he had an objection to ap pear in a Court of justice, all swore their offspring off on to him, and obtained in each instance 2s (id each. The inference drawn by the lion, and gallant gentleman was that a similar fraud might be attempted to be perpetrated in this Colony should the clause he inserted. To the evi(lent relief of nearly all controlled the ■clause was rejected Air Reynolds is considerably exei•ci.scd in mind with regard to the recovery of the “plunder” the result of recent frauds perpetrated by Massey, late town clerk of Dunedin. During the passage of the Massey Fraud Indemnity Bill through Committee yesterday the hen. gentleman suggests! to Mr Oliver, who had charge ot the Bill, that an amendment might be made whereby the convict might i e 'compelled “ to disgorge the plunder.” In vain Air Oliver pointed out that ilie Bill provided that in event of it being proved that Massey at present •or in the dim and distant future po.--sessod any available assets he would lie compelled to “disgorge.” The hon. gentleman was still dissatisfied, and ■expressed his opinion that the Judge of the Supreme Court should be empowered to keep the convict in prison till lie re inquidied his ill-gotten wealth. Mr Reynolds added; “I know for a fact that Massey, by bank •drafts, has sent home to his brother 1.3.000 ; ami this in addition to money still in .Mrs Massey’s possession. Mr Oliver, for the third and last time, informed the Committee that the Dunedin City Corporation would, by the rim passing of this Bill, bo placed in a 1 po-ition to recver any assets known to be in Massey’s possession ; but he reminded the Committee that great hardship would be sustained if the 1 Legislature passed an Act to keep a nnm in gaol for the term ot his natural life simply because the Dunedin CorJ

portion expressed a belief tbafc time man still bold hj |»i - ticm of the money of which he had defrauded Hum. One hon. gentleman facetiously suggested that the thumb screw, judiciously applied iniiiht extract the information sought for. The matter was then d opped. |