THE GAMBLING EVIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 31 July 1907, Page 3

THE GAMBLING EVIL.

Per Press Association Wellington, July 30. A deputation of citizens, clergymen, numbers of Parliament, and others interested in the gambling question waited on the Premier to-day with a request for the imposition of further legislative restrictions ou what was represented to be the growing great evil of •11 the principal cities, viz., betting. The Premier, in reply, said last year's Bill tried to give effect to what he thought w.ys a tremendous advance and included several very important uforms. It did away with street betting and made betting by minors abnost impossible, and it limited beting to racecourses. If they got legislation of that tort on the Statute Book it would be .i tremendous advance, and it was ** much as they expected to get there. As to *he abolition of the totalisalor, the deputation must recognise it was not poanbte to get such a proposal throu :n Parliament; and in any case he asked lu it desirable to defer legislation of a general description until it ww possible t It was not desirable. He was anxious to do all in his power to meet the wishes of the deputation, but he recognised that a large section of tne community looked upon race meetings as part and parcel of the system which they supported and beb'eved in. Personally he did not see any barm in it nee meeting, if it were carried out pi operly. He thought the system of douu.e betting should ,l>c t-t"pped. Provision for doing so would be included in a Bill already drafted. Later.

11l replying to the anti-gambling deputation, the Premier said he did not mind candidly saying the proposal in last year's Bill to give one per cent, of the tote investment to local charities, was pat in advisedly, with a view to getting the legislation 'on the Statute Book. A Voice: It's a bad proposal.

Sir Joteph: A gentleman behind me says it is bad. I think it is. (Hear, hear.) We can leave it out of the Bill this time. As to gambling in land which one of the deputation had mentioned, the place for that was in the Land Bill. The solution was cheap fares and rapid means of communication, so that' the people could ?pt out of congested areas Bererting to the main question. b« sail some improvements had been mad in the Bill, and he hoped the deputation would recognise it was a sincere attempt to deal with the whole question of gambling. The point as to whether anything should be done to prevent newspapers publishing the dividends on races eould be again put before his colleague*. He *elie»ed newspaper proprietor* wjnld do eTerything they could to improveHhe present condition of affairs. •