The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 16. THE GAMBLING EVIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 83, 16 July 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 16. THE GAMBLING EVIL.

The Legislature cannot kill gambling, but -ii can maim one of its tentacles, and •apparently the must determined atteai.pt yet made in New Zealand to deal in a wholesale manner with gambling on horse-racing is to be made. So many references to this subject have been made lately, and it has -caused such widespread interest, that -it 'is not; necessary •to go again deeply -into the facts. Theneed for reform has been occasioned by the licensing of bookmakers by the Sta.te, and this lias greatly increased the number of reputable and disreputable pencillers. Not only have Judges mentioned the widespread and evil influence of the present system, but the churches, friends of sport, politicians, and the police have repeatedly shown that the system is pernicious. With such a universal protest, which grew in reality from the published statement of a police officer, it was impossible that the matter could be shelved. It was, however, apparent to any person who viewed the matter calmly that if the bookmaker who was licensed only to carry on his business on the racecourse was to be wiped out, the totalisator, which plies its mechanical trade on the racecourse too, should go with the bookmaker. There is no i doubt in the mind of anyone that if employees embezzle money to bet with bookmakers, they might embezzle money to bet with the machine. From the moral standpoint, the totalisator is as bad as the bookmaker, the difference, of course, being that one requires larger sums to bet with the machine. Logically, therefore, the speculator who puts his trust in the machine would be more dangerous to his employer, supposing he was unable to resist the temptation to theft. Neither the totalisator nor the bookmaker knows or cares where the money comes from, and the published fact that two million pounds has passed through the machines in New Zealand during the past ten years is some indication of the extent of the business from which the Government makes a profit. The State has, according to the published statement of Mr. J. C. Mackay, of Auckland, gathered its due of £222,000 out of this'sum in the decade. Mr. Newman, M.P., believing that the bookmaker is the head and front of the offending, brought down a Bill to extirpate him professionally. This Bill failed. But the Premier, who desires reform too, has promised that both the bookmaker and the totalisator must be dealt with if there, is to be justice. The totalisator has made betting "respectable." Thousands of people who would never think of trafficking with the "books" will push | their money through to the tote-keeper.' The totalisator has induced many women to bet; it is to the financial "advantage" of the State that the machine should gather in as much money as possible; and if the machine stays and the bookmakers go, the machine will handle more cash than ever. The machine helps vastly to cut out the element of "sport." It is absurd to hold that horse-racing in New Zealand is rim for anything else than cash. M-iny men in New Zealand own horses they cannot afford to keep ■ and run for sport. We have a huge class in New Zealand who live on racecourses and do nothing from year's end to year's end but fVlow the fortunes of the turf for sordid gain. This class of man is useless and harmful. He is the person who should be dealt with. Under the present system, with an enormous number of race meetings in the year, he increases in numbers, and the harm he does increases in proportion. It is hoped that the Premier's suggestion that r.T"Jdays be reduced by half will find acceptance. If the mere sordid element were cut out of horse-racing the sport would be clean. Its patronage would dwindle.

of course, but only people who could afford to run a horse for the love of the horse and the joy of winning would keep horses. At present men buy a horse or a share in a horse with the definite intention of making a living out of him,

either by winning with him or losing with him. Every racing man will understand the value of losing, and there is no necessity in this community to explain. The enormous sums that pass through the totalisator make it possible for racing clubs to give big prizes, and the constant procession of spielers,

guessers. and the "bad eggs" of racing generally tin not follow the horse round, but the cash. If the licensing of bookmakers is a scandal and is the cause of much dishonesty, the totalisator is also the cause of dishonesty, crooked running, and a host of parasites. If the bookmaker is to be wiped out, so must the totalisator, supposing that it is the intention of the State to minimise the gambling evil. If the bookmaker is to remain he must be a bookmaker whose records are clean and who is to be his permit to bet by people who arc able to distinguish wild from pinchbeck and the thief from the other fellow. People will bet without any organised, prepared, duly licenced system. They will bet, whatever happens, as lone: as racehorses run. but there is no occasion to multiply the chances chiefly for the sake, of parasites. And sinioosinsf that the proposed "clean sweep" is made and the intention is to purify the turf, the Post and Telesraph Department should be called on to heln vigorously. It could be made illegal for anv person to print any matter relafimr to bettincr, to publish racinc acceptances, to permit the passage of such matter over the public wires. All 'these thintrs will assuredly be done it the Slate is earnest in its desire to suppress what most people regard as one of the «reatcst evils in the community.