BOOKMAKER’S CLIENTS FINED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3635, 7 May 1927, Page 2

BOOKMAKER’S CLIENTS FINED.

HEAVY PENALTIES INFLICTED

Christchurch, May 5

In the Magistrate’s Court to-day charges were heard against various persons for betting with Alfred Vivian Whitta, who was convicted and lined £4OO in March.

The cases were practically the first of. thej'r kind to be brought in New Zealand.

Mr. Mosley, S.M., took a serious view of the offences and inflicted penalties ranging from £3 up to £2O, with costs, and fixed imprisonment of a substantial nature by way of default or non-compliance with distress warrants.

In imposing the penalties the Magistrate said lie could not take into consideration the fact that under the Legislature the maximum penalty was fixed at £IOO or six months’ imprisonment. It was nonsense to say that a man betting with a bookmaker did not know he was committing an offence. “I cannot disguise the fact from myself that unfortunately within the last day or two the effects of gambling have been brought before this particular court,” added the Magistrate. “Several men have been ruined, probably by their own fault, and have defrauded their ‘employees of large sums of money through betting with bookmakers. I cannot sit in this Court day after day without recognising the vast amount of evil done to members of the community 1 hrough gambling.”

Those convicted and fined were as follows: —G. 11. McCrae, Z. Ben and C. A. Duff, £2O and costs, in default two months; W. Fricker, £3, in default 14 days; J. Halkett and 1). koss, £ls, in,default, one month; IA G. Hedges and J. Ryan, £lO, in default, one month; J. Roy, £3; P. T. Thorpy, £2O, in default, two months.