Two-up School

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 79, 20 April 1937, Page 5

Two-up School

Assoeiafion.)

PLAY AT BACK OF RACECOURSE Story of Raid Made at Palmerston North THIRTEEN CHARGED

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PALMERSTON N. This Day. TMrtein of the 14 men arrested by the poliee on Saturday at the back oi |h# Awapuni racecourse appeared befort Mr J. L. Stout, S.M-, in the Palmerston North Magistrate'a Court yesterday charged with playing "twoup44 in. a public place in contravontion 0f the Gaming Act. •The defendanta wero Edwln pratt, fwrmer, Longburn; James Henry Street, Ifreezing works employee, Palmerston North; Douglas Victor Street, butcher. Palmerston North; Charies Joseph Col•lina, lorry driver, Palmerston North; Walter Henry Highsted, labourer, Palmerston North; Yivian Sydney Fisher, ttabourer, Bunnythorpe; Hughie James "Trask, engineer, Palmerston North; jpercy Coliins, lorry driver, Palmerston iNorth; Peter Edward Seivert, gardener, {Palmerston North; Reginald Ernest iPredorick Miles, dealer, Palmerston Nosth; Arthur Athol Cate, salesman, Palmerston North; Albert Thomas de Cleene, secretary, Palmerston North; William Charies Healey, labourer, Palmerston North; Andrew David Dennan, jpensioner, Palmerston North. The case against R. E, F. Miles was pdjourned until .next week. j All the others pleaded guilty, with tho fexception of Highstead and Cate, who ipleaded not guilty.

Deteetive-Sergeant Meiklejohn detailJed the eircumstances which led np to jthe podice sweeping down on the " school.1 4 Complaints had been received of unlawful gameB being coniducted at the baek of .the racecourse on a road that ran at right angles off Maxwell line. Complaints were received that even spinning jennies had been taken there and a large number of menplayed in these games. On Satnrday Constable Thompson, of Wellington, visited the locality. A man called for a "ring44 and a dozen foraed up to eommence "two-up." When the races were being rnn they knocked off to Watch the events. Pinally the number In the " school" increased and the jetakes also went np, till at times there ;was as much as £6 on the ground. The man who actually started, the 41 ring" handed it over to Healey when the .latter turned up, the first individual assuming the dutiOs of "urger." Con* jstable Thompson left during the running ©f the Cup and reported the happenings at the back of the course. A raid was then fixed for 3.30 p.m., and as the poliee ear pulled up alongside the 4 'school 4 4 pennies were " in the air. * 4 The men jscattered as the poliee rnshed in, but a number were "grabbed.44 iConstable Thompson grabbed Coliins, who was then using the "kjp.44 Anetfier man was at the xnoment putting j£l down. Aetnally about 30 men were jin the ring when the poliee arrived, Those caught had on them varying sums ■from £14 ls to nothxng, bnt qne had £g§5. Spme of the men had been beforf the court before on gatning cbarges, "| jwould like to pnt this liat in to phow Jthe court the' class ef men who conjfregated there,44 added the DeteetivejBergeant. 4 4 The games at the baek ff Ithe course have become a public nu!slance. They have been going on for Jsome time, and the poliee desire to haye ithem stopped.44 ! Mr M. H. Owen, appearing for pratt, paid defendant went to-the back of tho leourse to see the races. The "school4" jwas in operattion and he franldy adjmitted having taken part early in the 'proceedings. At the time of the raid jks was standing at least a chain away from the ring interested in the game. Mr T. P. Relling appeared on behalf •f the two Coliins, Healey, Dennan, 'Fjsher, de Cleene, the two Streets, and Trask. He said the men went there becauss they could not afford to go to the trots, and some of them for other reasons. They had not played for very great stakes, as the majority of them were men on sustendnce. Of the nine he represented, three had made no bets. For some of the men this was their first uppearance before the court. During the races they watched the horses running and in between did no worse than thousands of others not half amile away — gambled. To say the men were a nuisance was absurd. Mr. Relling: Possibly your Worship knows the locality. Mr §tout (smiling) : No, I don't think 1 do. His Worship pointed out that there had been convictions for ' ' t.wo-up ' 4 all fbrough New Zealand time and again and defendants must have known it was illegal. Each would be fiued £2 and jgiven to the end of .the month to pay. Giving evidence agaihst the thr$e who pleaded not guilty, Constable Thojbpgon {(Wellington) said Healey wSs in charge oi the ring. After the fourth race he eaw Highstead in the Ting placing a b6t. Witness also made bets during the afternoon bnt had no lnck. There was no doubf about Highstead being there. Highstead, in evidence, denied having made any bets with the 4 'school.44 He saw the men there but took no part in the proceedings. Giving evidence in support of the defence, Healey said he never saw Highstead make a bet, but the game had been in progress an hour before witness arrived. To Deteetive-Sergeant Meiklejohn, jHealey said perhaps 1000 bets had gone .through that day. Yivian Sidney Fisher said Highstead icould not have mado bets without wittaess seeing him. " Percy Coliins gave similar evidence. His Worship said he could not give jJdefendant tha benefit of the doubt. The

constable was there for the express purpose of discovering who was taking part. The fine would be £2. In the case against Cate, Constable Thompson said dofendant was one of the main bsttors during the afternoon. His was amongst the largest of the bets placed. Just before the poliee Taid, Cate had placed a pound note in the ring, Cate denied taking part in the proceedings. His Worship preferred to. believed the poliee evidence and imposed a fine of £2. Cate; What becomes of the pound notef Constable Thompson says it is mine. His Worship; It will be confiscate^d and paid into the poliee account. Guilty of Taking Bets. Victor Hannah, charged with carrying on the business of a bookmaker, was fined £30. Deteetive-Sergeant Meiklejohn said defendant drove to the back of the racecourse during the trotting on Saturdhy and while there laid bets while 9itting in the car. He accepted bets from a number of people on ftte road. A. constable had no difficulty in laying a 10s bet with defendant. When arrested defendant had a betting pad and H0 2s in his possession. In 1932 he had beeh convicted in Gisborne for a ;«Anilar offence. Mr Ongley, appearing for defendant, said it had been a practice for a number of people to watch the races from behind the course. While there Hannah had taken several bets in a small way. He had £43 when he went there and still had £40 when arrested. Defendant was not carrying on the business of bookmaking at any other time. He seemed to have fulfilled the want of the other people about; he iiad filled a "public function44 apparehtly. Hannah was a showman who had assisted readily at eharitable functions. His Worship, in fixing the penalty at £30, said the Court. would relieve hioi of some of the money he had been pre pared to lose.