MR NEWMAN’S BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 866, 16 July 1910, Page 3

MR NEWMAN’S BILL.

In moving the second reading of the Gaming Amendment and Bookmakers’ Abolition Act in the House on Wednesday night, Mr Newman said the Bill was designed to repeal that clause in the Gaming Act, entitling racing clubs to license bookmakers. He was, he added, no enemy to horse racing; he had been breeding horses all his life, and was in entire sympathy with horse racing, but he wanted to see clean sport, and that was his object in bringing in the Bill. He wanted to minimise the evils of horse racing. When the Gaming Act was passed, legalising the bookmaker, he was sure it was never anticipated that such evils would arise as had arisen, and be had no, doubt that after the experience that had been had of the working of the measure, there would be no trouble in obtaining its repeal. He quoted recent remarks by Mr Justice Chapman in support of his Bill, and urged that such remarks should bear weight with the House, as they had evidently stirred up the conscience of the people. Mr Justice Chapman had earned the gratitude of New Zealand for his courage in making such a statement on this subject. The police report of last year also had referred to the bookmaker in terms which were worthy of consideration, and the present Police Commissioner referred to the bookmaker in somewhat similar terms. He wanted to know what the opinion of the Prime Minister on the subject of the bookmaker was now. Never in the history of New Zealand had the bookmaker been so much in evidence.

Sir Joseph Ward ; Whose fault is it ?

Mr Massey : The Government’s. A member: How about the totalisator ?

Sir Joseph Ward: Wipe them both out.

Mr Newman gave instances of the activities of the bookmaker, in sending out betting lists, and he wanted to know if the Government was aware that the Postal Department was being made use of for the purpose of disseminating such correspondence. He was told that such circulars were sent in open envelopes, but everyone would admit that they were sent out in large numbers, and he averred that they had been the means of the ruin of large numbers of young men. All employers of young men whom he had spoken to stated that the bookmaker had been the means of leading youngmen astray, and he contended that the idea of confining the bookmaker to the racecourse had failed. The calling was pernicious in essence, and should be made illegal. Every member of a racing club that he had spoken to had said he was not in favour of the bookmaker, although such clubs might not be unbiased on account of the fact that they received large sums In fees from the bookmaker. Their fees had to come out of the pockets of the public. To put the licensing of bookmakers in the hands of magistrates was only trifling with the subject. His Bill did not seek to deal with the totalisator. He had no brief for the totalisator, but had been told by men connected with racing that it was cleaner and sounder when there were no bookmakers and no totalisator. But the totalisator was a clean way of betting, and did not give credit to the general public. Mr Poole: It’s as bad as the bookmaker. Mr Newman ; “It does not give credit as a general rule, and does not go about tempting people to gamble.” There was a very strong feeling in favour of the abolition of the bookmaker, and he was convinced that the country wanted that carried out.

As previously mentioned the Bill was shelved.