THE CAMING ACT.

NZ Truth, Issue 127, 23 November 1907, Page 2

THE CAMING ACT.

On Monday afternoon when the, a-' bove- Bill was' reported-' from the committee set up to dealwith-it, the member for Napier, Mr A. :•' L.---.D. Praser , made a very stirring speech against the measure, and it was generally admitted on .all sid,es,rib be the best heard on the subject. Although the dilly dailies did not report it, the facts were privately wired ' : all over the Dominion, and the member for. Napier was deluged with wires corigratulating him on hig'splendid ~; effort. ■ ;■.'■ : v After bringing .up a breach of privilege alleged to haveTieen committed by •'Truth," whom the speaker declared was one £»f the leading papers m the Dbminiqn, arid the- Chairman having ruled against him, Mr Fraser then went on to the main question. ' He quoted the bookmakers' cases m Christchurch, and referred to these cases as a piece df very • unfortunate business, and plainly stated that the Magistrate- was biassed. •

The Magistrate had. said that the general public did not require bookmakers, but what did the Bill, purporting to,^be a voice', of the. public, say ? It provided for the . liciensingv of bookmakers ! "They had been told that the whole subject had been "'considered before the ' Committee,''- the speaker continued, "but who were those who were cited to 'appear ? It was voluntary evidence, and everybody knew what notice to take of voluntary evidence. Any judge woulij take it "cum grano salis." '' •

When . they found the great unsoaped of all. classes fusbing m to give evidence, he thought they should treat such evidence with great diffidence.

Sir George Clifford tM| came under the lash of the speaker, . who told liow he (Sir GeorgeV a ' 'man . holding a high position as > a racehorse owner, a man holding a^ high, position of trust, had leased as a,, trustee lands to himself .as an officer of the C.J.C. Lands .that ;did not bring m one-tenth of their value, the sum received for the 178 iacres being £20 a year. Although .no 1 names w.ere mentioned by the speaker, ■it ■ was very evident who . he was .referring to. His disapproval, abhorrence and detesta-; tion. of the prosecution and . punish-, ment dealt out to the bookmakers at Christc.hurch, not for gambling, , - . but for trespassing on a reserve; were, next quoted", as was the fact .that. the: secretary .of the CiJ.C. was the- prosecutor.in. these cases (not- the Justice :; Depa-rtment) , -• iand , this showed the •insatia'ble.sreed' of' 1 , the : jockey clubs. ' .■ .-■.-" ..'•;'

He also touched' upon the inconsistency of . the various racing clubs who' prosecute bookmak.ers. at. one meeting, arid ,when no tptalisator is aW lowed, they hunt all' over the coun,try to find them and, get them/ to ply their calling at . their nm-jtings. . Who had: asked for tKis^Bili;?'* said Mr Fraser". Was it a deputation, of members to] the Ministry <?•• Was it a deputation from "the moderate thinking pedple .?. No, it was a deputation from a. set of blackrcoated, hysterical, clerical "sand-baggers, who If new nothing of what they were talking abouit and V were biassed- and bigoted and had never gone putjnto the- world and seen' 'the bright and 'the -dark sides of life. The Premier's . hand had. been forced by these- wowsers, and a Infill had been brought down that was jliscreditable to, all concerned • and a stain on an otherwise brilliant session, But, -he continued, it. had no chance of passing, r and he hoped he would never see it. 'again, and if he did he would take the opportun-; ity of- showing the antagonistic sen.timents m. it, and, also illustrate to the people; throughout, the Dominion that there f-were occasions when even; rthe Ministers sitting on those benches brought down ; legislation which ,was unworthy ofivthem and a stain upon their past brilliant careers.