Page 1 Advertisements Column 5

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 1008, 29 September 1903, Page 1

The Government do not mind taking a percentage of totalisator receipts, but they mean to stop there. The Government Bill to amend the Gaming i and Lotteries Act contains some important provisions, notably an extension of the law prohibiting lotteries and any lottery or scheme promoted outside New Zealand. The result of this would be that any person who sells tickets for any lottery, such as Tattersall’s, would be liable to a fine of £2OO, or six months’ imprisonment, and the purchaser of a ticket in Tattersall’s would be liable to a penalty of £lO. In any proceedings under the Act, a judge, or justices of the peace, may require any person to appear as a witness, and no person shall be excused on tho ground that his evidence will tend to incriminate him. If, however, he gives true and faithful evidence ho can, on application, receive from the judge or justices a certificate to that effect, and the certificate shall free turn from all criminal prosecutions and punishment. The Bill declares Chinese games of pakapoo and fantan, and any similar game, to be lot-1 teries. A German reservist, sentenced to four months' imprisonment for failing to salute an ensign, affirmed that he made tho salute, but that the officer was too drunk to see it. The finance committee of the London County Council has recommended the granting of a loan of £200,000 to the School Board of London for the erection of new schools. , , _ f ,The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has asked tho Government to place Marlborough in the list of districts to bo visited . by tho electrical expert who is to report on the feasibility of utilising the power of the rivers of the colony.