GAMING AND BETTING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1914, 25 October 1906, Page 2

GAMING AND BETTING.

(Special to Times.)

AN IMPORTANT POLICY BILL.

DRASTIC MEASURES PROPOSED,

Wellington' lost night. Sir Josoph Ward’s Bui to msko better proviaiou for the regulation and suppross ing of gaming, bottiug and wugermg, to restriot tho holding of raoe meetings, and for tho lioonsiug of raooooursos, was intro duoed in the Houao of Representatives today. LOTTERIES AND UNLAWFUL GAMES.

Undor this heading the provisions of tho principal Act relating to lotteries is made to apply to New Zealand or else where. The clause dealing with this peiut is evidently drafted with a view to stopping tho sending of money to Tattersails, and every person who manages or conduct!] or assists in managing or canducting or canvasses for subscribers, or rec.ivos money for tickets in a lottery, whether promoted in New Zealand or ekowhere, will be liable to a penalty of £2OO for the first otfauce, and £2OO and six months 1 imprisonment for a seoond offenoe. Provision is made in clausa 8 to indemnify witnesses required to give evidencain connection with gaming oases. The hands of the police under this clause will be gioatly strengthened in the matter of bringing offenders before the Ooutts. Clause 9 provides that evory owner and every occupier of any land or building who allows the same to be usod as a means of aoooes to or of exit or escape from any boase, office, room, or other place used as a gaming house, is liable to a fine not exceeding £lO3, There is provision in clauso 10 enabling a landlord to evict the oooupier of a gaming house. Any suoh notice to quit may bo oancolled by a judge of the Supremo Court, subject to such terms as he chinks fit, on application being made to him by the oooupier on proof that he has not at any time allowed tho house, office, or room to be used os a gaming house, or allowed the land or building to be used as a moans cf access to or of exit or esoape from any place as a gaming house. On an affidavit of a superintendent or Inspeotor of polios, showing reasonable grounds for suspeoting that any house, office, room, or other pisoa is used as a gaming house, any j adge of tho Supreme Court may declare it to be a gaming house, but the decision may be rescinded if the owner or ocoupier is able to prove to the contrary, Stringent provisions are ombodied in regard to the arrest and punishment of persons found in a declared gaming house. In regard to a gaming house an owner shall, unless he proves tout ho has taken all reasonable steps to evict the occupier from tho same, be liable to a fine not less than £SO and nos exceeding £SOO. Tho occupier is Ruble to a similar penalty. Clause 18 provides that the police may without warrant enter or break mto any declared gaming house, BETTING IN STREETS,

Street betting is lo be made illegal Tna penalty for indulging in it is for a first offence not less than £2O and not exceeding £IOO, and for a seoond offenoe imprisonment for six months, Clause 22 is important in this conneo tion, as it enables any person who has paid over any money for a bet to recover his money with costs if he to chooses, and under such conditions the bookmakers’ oabiag will bo a very risky one indeed. BETTING ON SPORTS GROUNDS. Betting or wagering on any ground not beiDg a licensed raoeoouree on which any sports are being held is prohibited. Tne penalty ia fixed in £IOO, and the offender oan be removed by any offioer or servaot of those who have control of the grounds, or by any ooustablo. BETTING WITH INFANTS.

The penalty for betsing with infants is increased to £11)0, or imprisonment for uuy term not exceeding six months to both fine aud imprisonment where money is stolen by uuy person who is under 21 years of age, and any money is thereafter paid by suoh person as or for or by way of or on account of a bet or wager the person from whom suoh money was stolen may in any oourt of competent jurisdiction reoovor amount of the money so stolen not Bxoeeding the amount paid as aforesaid from person to whom same was so paid, RESTRICTING RACE MEETINGS. Racecourses aro to bo licensed. In the metropolitan area the fee is £SO, and elsewhere £2O. No race shall be held on any racecourse if the circumference of the running ground of such racecourse mcasuod from the inner boundary is less than 0 furlongs.

The number of days in any one year on which mootings for horse racing may be held on any licensecd racecourse shall not exceee the following:— (a) Wucrc the racecourse is situate wi.tim 40 miles of the principal post office in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, or Dueodin, the number shall bo 24 ur the cumber of days on which suoh meetings were hold at such racecourse during me 12 months ending 31tt July, 1906, whichever number is the smaller. (e) Where the raoeoourse is Bituate, where the number shall bo 12 or the number of days on which such meetings were hili on such racecourse durmg tho 12 months ending the 31st day of Ju.y, 1906, whichever number is the smaller. The number of days in any one year on which mco.itgs for pony racing may bo held on any licensed racecourses shall not exoeed the following :

(a) Whore tho racecourse is situate wuhin forty miles of tho principal post offices in Auckland, Wellington, Ohrietohurch, or Dunedin, tho number sball be twelve ; (n) where tho racecourse is s tua e ehewhtre the nuab.r shall be tix. If any race meeting is held contrary io ihis section the owner or Irnsieta ol tho racecourso, aud tho club, association or peison by or on behalf of which or whom such meeting was so held, and each member of the managing body of such trustees’ club or association, any person acting at buch race maeting as starter or judge shall ba liable to a fine of not lees thaD £IOO, nor exceeding £OOO,