BOOKIES NOT WANTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 511, 14 November 1928, Page 11

BOOKIES NOT WANTED

TELEGRAPHING BETS MR. J. B. DONALD ON RACING Permission to telegraph money to totalisators, the publication of rsfee dividends and a suggestion that the Government might investigate the amount of money sent each year from New Zealand to an Australian consultation. Those were three of the most interesting subjects (from a sporting point of view) dealt with last evening at Scots Hall by Mr. J. S. Donald, United Party candidate for Auckland East. He agreed that dividends should be published as that would hinder the activities of bookmakers. m The candidate thought that everyone would be astounded if the full amount of money placed with bookmakers were known. Personally he had nothing to say about the morals of bookmakers but they were not wanted in New Zealand. He felt sure that men and wome’iS' would not bet with bookmakers if they were able to telegraph their bets to the totalisators on racecourses. Speaking of country racing clubs holding their meetings in the cities Mr. Donald said that the country folk must have “their bit. of . fun,” but there were enough race meetings in Auckland at present without the country meetings being brought in. He was quite against that kind of thing. The extra race meetings took men from their business and money from their pockets and consequently the tradespeople suffered. Recently .the candidate had been asked what he thought about a popular sweepstake and he had told his inquirer that it did not do any man or woman any good. This inquirer had told him that £5,000,000 a year went from New Zealand to Tasmania, but Mr. Donald said he would be surprised if the actual sum were worth half that. If it were so, however, he would agree to have a similar consultation in New Zealand, as £2,500,000 was too big a sum for New Zealand to lose Perhaps, he thought, it would be as well if the Government inquired into the amount which was sent from New Zealand every year.