CARDS ON RAILWAY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16484, 25 February 1914, Page 7

CARDS ON RAILWAY.

PENALTY OF PLAYING FOR MONEY.

TWO PASSENGERS FINED. [Pm Pbess Association.] AUCKLAND, February 24,

Two travellers by the Main. Trunk express from the south to Auckland yesterday afternoon were whiling the time away by a quiet game' of poker, when two strangers stepped into the train at Newmarket, and showed sociable interest in the game. One of the players said they were "doing no harm,” as he had already won six shillings. On receiving this information the strangers revealed themselves as Sergeant Dale and Constable Wales on plain clothes duty, and informed the two young men that they would be brought before the Magistrate for a breach of the Police Offences Act. The men appeared in Court to-day charged with playing a game of chance by way of gaming with instruments of gaming. Inspector M’Grath asked leave' to amend the information and substitute a charge under Section 25 of the Railway Regulations, as the charge first laid was intended to deal with rogues and vagabonds, whereas the present, defendants were perfectly decent young fellows.

The charge wa6 amended to one of gambling on a train in breach of the railway regulations, and Mr Singer, for the defendants, entered a plea or guilty. They were, counsel said, like many others daily, having a game of cards in the train coming to Auckland.

Inspector M’Grath: For money. His Worship remarked that in his travels he' frequently saw people playing cards on the train, but he very rarely saw money passing. . Mr Singer: They, can’t play, poker without a, chin, and your Worship may have noticed that players used matches. The present defendants bought the cards on one of the station platforms. His Worship said that a seller of cards could not presume that the purchasers were going tp gamble with them. There was serious objection to playing for money in a railway carnage, and the railway regulation against it was a good one. Sometimes a smart gentleman induced someone from the country to play for the purpose- of “ taking him down.” In this ca6e the defendants were friends who were playing each other, and evidently not of the fraternity of tricky gentlemen referred to. The matter was consequently not serious, and defendants would be fined 10s and costs each;