TOTE RECEIVING-BOXES

NZ Truth, Issue 1179, 5 July 1928, Page 11

TOTE RECEIVING-BOXES

Racing Authorities Should Get Busy Without Delay (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Christqhurch Representative.) A RE the racing and trotting clubs going to take Magistrate Mos- " ley's yardict on trje totalisator question lyj^ig down? Surely not!:- :.;■ v ■;.'*■..

WHILST his decision' *ijvas a knock ' to the Isfe-w Zealand Metropolitan Trotting ' Club,'", it .must— from several viewpoints — be accepted as a hair-splitting verdict. ...' li^ delivering his -judgment m the case against' the Metropolitan Trptting Club f or, receiving ; bets on thfe stewards' stand at .Addirigtbn, which wtere marsily accepted there for the purposes of studying the , convenience of thp stewards and their guests, Magistrate Mosley said: "It must, I think, be accepted .that the word 'totalisatpr' means the buildings m Which bets are mpde and the machinery by means of which they are recorded, totalled _ and exhibited, the dividends com- . puted, and the place where they are paid." ' ' ' In view of that definition, the bench maintained that a receiving-box m the members' or stewards' stand was a breach of section 32 of the Garhihg Act. ::\ ■■■ -. 7,. ,-■• ''' . This Places the majority of racing and trotting clubs m a mighty awkward position, The apparently calnj. manner m which S.M, Mosley's verdict has been received makes one. wonder: if the offlr cials are too overwhelmed to get busy. In conversation with some :of the prominent clubmen of bqth .spprts, the opinion was held, thaVthe receivingboxes . electrically connected with an electrically r controlled 7to^lisatpr will not be affected. How cah , that be ?" ' Magistrate ..Mosley's'/' Vtecisipri) holds that the must beTdoh|S m the actual home of the totalisatpp,-" ;> . That is definite and it Is.^fficult to fathom' how club memfrerß: can hope for exemption for the elec-trically-oontrolled machine.' To "N.Z. Truth." it matters not a jot which kind of tote is used; the receiv-ing-boxes constitute an offence.

.Acknowledging that the. law is, a.s the -magistrate has defined it, the elimination of'" places where the public can make their investments away from the main; totajisator building, this will deprive patrons of considerable convenient accommodation for recording their bets. What is more, it is unlikely, theit occupants of the grandstand and the stewards' stand will be keen pn periodical trips through dense crowds tP make a wager at the machine. They may, instead, prefer to look at the races and enjoy the sport without according monetary f support. That will be no good tp. the ; clubs. 'On the other harid^'Vit -is? certainly stretching 'the,- how to close up the receivingrboxps, f pr . when the ' whole business is boiled down, what does it matter if investments are received at Various parts of a course, so long as the; amounts, are recorded oh the niaip tptalisator In accordance 1 with the requirements of, the Government inspector, who checks the . amounts shown on the machine for each race? T The system of receiving bets' at apartments established for the purpose has ' worked 'admirably and has been held to be above suspicion. So why the interference? Magistrate Mosley's verdict is a serious one to the clubs. The sooner the turf authorities get busy and get the law amended, the better. ' ■ ; , 7-.

MASSOCK was made a hot pop -when he contested his opening hack engagement on Saturday last. •-. Sid Hodge had, the son of Nassock looking the rear thing, but he could do no better than finish fifth. He was hanging on well, but. will, be better suited over longer journeys ' than a mile. '-.-.'■