Will It Be In Our Time?

NZ Truth, Issue 1142, 20 October 1927, Page 4

Will It Be In Our Time?

THE Prime Minister, of New Zealand is making a habit of being non-committal in his replies to questions affecting legislation in this country. Asked recently as to the probable date on which the Gaming Act Amendment Bill would come before the House of Representatives for consideration Gordon Coates "Yes-No-ed" .with great gusto leaving the impression that the Bill was of quite minor importance. Which, of course, it is not. The Prime Minister fails to realize that 90 per cent, of the adult population is interested in the matter either from a moral, economic or sporting point of view. The gaming law as it stands today is farcical in the extreme. The Press is denied the publication of dividends on horse races, yet through unlawful channels the information is made available to thousands of interested persons. The organization of bookmakers is so complete that practically every member of the illegal fraternity of odds-layers has particulars a few minutes after the race is run and hotel bars and hairdressers' shops do their bit in broadcasting the results. Gordon Coates is well aware of the ramifications of the underground wireless system of dividend publication and the longer he persists in postponing the appearance of the Gaming Act Amendment Bill before the House so long can he be justifiably accused of aiding and abetting unlawful practices. The session is now well on the wane and this paper considers that there is no Government measure of sufficient importance to take precedence over the Bill under discussion. May we misquote: "How long, oh Gordon, how long?"