THE TOTALISATOR.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2234, 15 May 1880, Page 2

THE TOTALISATOR.

Mr Siegfried Franck has arrived in Dunedin with his totalisator, which is not alone the genuine thing itself, but one for which ho has taken out a patent in this colony. The recent occurrences in Auckland have tended to lessen public confidence in this instrument, but Mr Franck claims for his patent that in its working fraud is impossible, and wc arc bound to say, from an inspection of this totalisator, that he goes a long way towards establishing his claim. The registering process as each ticket is disposed of is carried on upon the face of the instrument entirely. There is no moving of springs whatever from behind. Besides this the same movement that registers an additional number against a horse, registers it also as an addition to the total above. Directly the horses start in a race, the whole machine is ingeniously locked; not that it is fastened up, but by the application of a key to a blank in one corner the word “ stop ” is brought into view, and by that operation a check is put upon the whole registering apparatus, so that neither the total nor any of the single figures can be altered. The instrument is placed so high that the marker can

reach it only by means of steps, and thus any of the officials wishing to make an alteration whilst a race is being run. would be almost certain to be noticed by the public or police. Further, directly the word “ stop ” is turned on, a list of the number backing each horse, and of the total in the pool, is hung out in front of the instrument. Thus, if the number of any horse is altered, the disparity is made apparent. In these, and in many other ways that would be tedious to enumerate, honesty is so ensured as to render it as certain as things mundane can be rendered. Mr Franck will have his totalisator at work at the Queen’s Birthday race meeting, when an opportunity of practically judging of its fairness will pe afforded. We understand that he intends proceeding against several of the New Zealand Jockey Clubs which have allowed an infringement of his patent upon their grounds. —“Otago Daily Times.”