RACING DIVIDENDS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1930, Page 5

RACING DIVIDENDS

A MINISTER’S COMMENT. (By Telegraph—Pre* Aeeocifction). WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. Tlmt the Bill to legalise tfie publication of racing dividends and the transmission of investments, which is expected to come before Parliament this week, has the sole aim of Racing Club’s financial benefit, was the contention of Rev. Blanchard in a sermon at St. John’s P'-esbyterian Church. Rev. Blanchard said he contention that the Bill would eliminate the bookmaker was an excuse, not a conviction, put forward to give the full appearance of righteousness, to provide a sop to the conscience of wobfiArs among politicians. ,lt was sheer hypocrisy. The real object of the Bill was to put money into the pockets of Racing Clubs and if their demands were acceded to, the resulss would be most injurious. The publicaion of the dividends would provide the incitement and the telegraph office easy opportunity, for anybody to invent on any race run anywhere in the Dominion. It required little imagination to realise how enormously the volume of betting would be increased on a majority of working days of each week. The telegraph office throughout the land would be a huge betting machine. The fact that bookmakers were already using telephones and telegraph, was no justification for the same abuse being perpetrated 'by the totalisator. The bookmakers illegal parasitism could be stopped by the Commissioner of Police if lie were given a free hand in dealing both with the bookmaker and the interesting names which could be found on a bookmaker’s records. Gambling was already on the way to whiteanting the public and social life of the Dominion.