THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES BILL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2042, 20 November 1907, Page 1

THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES BILL.

DISCUSSION ON COMMITTEE'S BEPOBT. STBONO LANGUAGE -IN THE • HOUSE.

(Special to Times.) ’WELLINGTON, Nov. T 9

Some idea of the discussion that may bo exxiected if -any serious attempt is imade to -put through the Gaming and Lotteries Bill in itspreMon t -forun nniay bo gleamed from tfalie discussion that -took place An the House yesterday upon the report of tho sxieoial committee till,it was set up to t-ako evid'euco and go through the Bill as drafted . The debate was it i t err up ted at the outset by Mr A. L. D. Eraser, who desired to. move that -the Christchurch Press, the Dominion and other newspapers had committed ,a breach of privilege by iiublisihi-ngthe report of the committee before it had been dealt with by the -House. Subsequently it was shown .that the special correspondents in Ithe gallery- wore within their irighta am dealing with the matter .after it had -been reported -to the House.

Discussion then turned upon Ithe point -as to- whether or not the Bil-l had been unduly 'hurriedthrou-ghthe committeo in tile unavoidable absemse of .those’ members who were •specially interested in it. The Premier -denied he was in any way responsible for tho consideration of the. Bill in the absence of these committeemen. Sev.e-n.il members, however, stated they had been given to understand •that only 'evidence was to bo takenon the last day on, which the committee sat rand that consideration of -the Bill 1 itself would be deferred for another day. Mr. La-wry said the Premier had for once forgotten his courtesy, for ho (Mr. Lawry) had, through tho chairman, lasked him to wait for .the /absent in embers and tho right hon. gent had said, “If your friends are not here it’s not my fault.” He asked /the Premier if he dad not remember saying -that. Tho Premier: “X don’t believe I did.

Mr La:vry: “But- I believe you dad.”

Tho ' member for Parnell added that tho whole thing had -been ruslh■ed through with the most indecent haste. Deferring to the evidence lie said- -tliu-t on© of tho witnesses was “a. holy Joo” for whose- .presence 'Mr Poole, the member for * ** ” Mr Massey considered that a great mistake li-ad 'been made in rushing the Bill through. Ho said it was not fair to endeavor to rush such, measures ,as this Bill, the Native Land Bill, llhe Industrial Arbitration Bil-l and -the. Superannuation Bills through tho dying hours of the session. -Ho agreed that -it was necessary te minimise tho gambling evil, but in this Bill -there were clauses that would intensify it and make things -ten- times -worse rtha-n they were ut present. Mr A. L. D. Eraser, who had previously referred to “the treacherous

and wicked action” of .the magistrate in the recent cases against the Christchurch bookmakers iaud “tho hypocritical scr-eechings of so-called clergymen” in connection- with the Bill, spolco again, with great vehemence. As the result of tho Christchurch cases, he said, the totalisator .was never before so near trembling upon .the brink of abolition ns it was now. If the question came up now he. would vote for -its abolition to- show his detestation and -abhorrence of the action, of the Magistrate an- sending .these men to prison. He. referred to “tho .insatiable greed of tho Jockey Club,” and said it would bo for the House to limit the number of -racing days .and t-o jealously .w-atoli bow they manipulate their machines. Some of tlie .stewards of metropolitan, olubs had damned .and condemned bookmakers .amid yet .a week .afterwards on the ;bumo -m'otTo-poiiita.il course limit Uiuib imeetiuigs had been held w th tho same ■ stewards, who clamored tor the bookmakers to come ,i-.l .proceed, with .their -business. He said the present Bill was not the creation of the Ministry but must bo attributed to those “Black-coat-ed hysterical individuals, tho, ;jl their hundreds, recently went down the .lobby and prayed on their 1 ended knees to- the Premier for this legislation.” Mr- (Rutherford : Holy Joes (laughter.

.Mr A. I L. D. Fraser: Some people call them clerical sandbaggers, and it is not .a very bad name. Mr Aitken warmly defended the clerical deputation that waited upon the Premier at this meeting. He said they were quite within their rights, but lie warned the. Premier tlhait the Bill ididi .not satisfy them. It .did not go in .many ways in the direction they - Iliad asked the Premier t o go . .After some further discussion ihe report lirom the committee was tabled.

The general opinion is that Ihc. Bill canm-ot pass this session. It lias still to .go (through .the second raiding commiiitteo and- third reading stages and .after that to -ran the gauntlet in the Upper House, so that .any .further attempt to deal with it ithsis session must bo waste of time.