BOOKMAKING CHARGE

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3900, 29 January 1929, Page 2

BOOKMAKING CHARGE

LOCAL RESIDENT PINED £3O. At the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., Darcy Ball, hairdresser and tobacconist, of Foxton, was charged with using his premises as a common gaming house. Defendant was represented by Mr. Ongley and entered a plea of guilty. Senior Detective Quirke, who conducted the case on behalf of the police, said that in the forenoon of Saturday last, in company with Detective Russell and Constable J. V. Bell, of Foxton, he visited the tobacconist shop of the premises occupied by defendant. On (making enquiries defendant admitted having made a number of bets that day totalling £6 and also admitted that he had made bets on the 22nd and 24th January in connection with the Wellington race meeting. Defendant had been in business in Foxton for a considerable time but his lotting transactions had not been on such a large scale as they would have been had lie been in a place like Palmerston North. That, possibly, was not due to his fault, however.

The S.M.: I suppose business has not been so good owing) to the flaxmills being closed.

Counsel for defendant said his client had been in business in Foxton fop seven or eight years and he was only between 18 and 19 years of age. When interviewed he had admitted taking bets, eight in all having been taken, amounting to £6. He had never issued any cards or double charts and there had been no record in the shop of betting cards having been kept. He had no telephone and had only carried on a small betting business with people who'were his customers. He had no separate banking account for his betting transactions and any profits accruing from the transactions had gone into the business. Accused had been brought up in Foxton and had gone into business there and he now had to pay the penalty of providing accommodation for the betting public of Foxton.

The S.M. said lie did not think there was a great deal of profit to be obtained in Foxton at the present time. The maximum penalty for bookmaking provided for a £IOO fine. He would look on accused as a small man, however, and would impose a fine of £3O with costs 10/-.