CARD TOURNAMENTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5316, 22 August 1928, Page 4

CARD TOURNAMENTS.

ADMINISTERING THE LAW.

A MINISTERIAL HINT.

A hint to the police that they should refrain from prosecuting the conductors of card tournaments where any breach of the Gaming Act involved is not of a serious nature, and where no harm ha.s been done, was given by the Attorney-General in the House of Representatives.

The question wasi raised by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland) in regard tq recent tournaments held at Westpqnt to raise funds for a. friendly society lo.dge and for educational purposes. He asked 'the (Minister if it would be possible to make an Alteration in the law to place card tournaments on the same foo.ti.hg as ant unions, osr if the Minister equid make a statement similar to that made by the Ho,me Secretary (Sir Joynson Hicks) in connecttoju with whist drives in Great. Britain. Rcplyin, the Hon. F. J. Rolles,ton s,aid the question wa,s a difficult one. He knew that in a .number of cases the card panties were more or less harmless and conducted fo,r charitable purposes and not fan private profit. On the other hand, there were parties that were conducted almost as a business for private ga.in. The difficulty was tha.t the elements that contituted a breach of the Gaming Act were present in both classes of panties. Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt) : There i<s a section in the Justice of the Peace Act which entitle's a magistrate to dismiss a ca.se on| the ground that it was trivia,!.

The Minister said he was aware o,f that but it had not been inyqked in these cases. He had read the remarks of the Home Secretary, who had stated that, in his opinion, where a, Wleaeh of the law was harmless and little mischief was being done, the police should refrain; from prosecuting. “I have considered those remarks very carefully,” said Mr Rollest'on, “but I hesitate to make a. similar statement* or go so ftm as the Home Secretary has gone. It might, be said' that the Minister had take'n himself to say which laws of the country should be enforced and which should not.

“lii the administration of our laws it is desirable that a wise disetotion should be exercised by the police, and that there: should' not be anything in the nature of oppression by the police in what is only a technical breach of the law.” .Mr Wilford: Why not .say subject to the approval qf the Attollney-Gen-ei',al ?

The Minister: Geinerajly speaking, the administration of the laws should be benevolent without any desire to act harshly. The police are being pulled both ways. There are - thqse who say they should prosecute in these cases, and those, who Say they should not.

“I think that if I state- that the law sho|uld be administered Seasonably, and not oppressively, in cases where no harm is being, done, that is as far as I can go.” The Minister added that, he had given very serious consideration to the question of amending the law to cover caild toiurnaments, but no amendment had been fojmd that might not lead to greater mischief. He was prepared to cohsldeii an amendment, and if any member, could suggest a suitable one he would be glad ta receive it.