TOTE AND BOOKIE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 84, 18 July 1910, Page 5

TOTE AND BOOKIE.

A CHRISTCHURCH PETITION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. ». Christchurch, Last Night. '. f A public petition to Parliament W»s ]• in circulation .here yesterday, protesting -.. against any repeal of section 34 of the '. ; j i Gaming Act, 1908 (which directs racing ' '.* clubs to issue licenses to bookmaker!), ■< . which section 50 of the same Act (a*-- '.',' ! tliorising the Minister of Internal Afi 'a fairs to grant licenses to clubs to use ,' 1 the totalisator for betting on races) re- ■. ;| mains in force, and praying that, in *,k justice to all the question of licensing fc« bookmakers and granting of permits ttp" : J use the totalisator, be embodied in one^fe jssue to be placed before Parliament, OS "Js if the abolition of one is. considered ne-''s cessary, then, as a natural sequence, the s*J other should be abolished also. '■£ As a result of Saturday's canvas sev« "' ! eral thousand names were attached totS the petition. ■' • , ijf. MORE PROTESTS. * '■£ Dunedin, Last Night ',*s A meeting was held in the Garrison :',N Hall last night to protest against thei' : >'s bookmaker and the totalisator, and against the importing of pictures of the ■ >| Jeffries-Johnson fight. There was »--a very large attendance, and the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr. T. Cole) Amongst the speakers was Dr. Henry, \M at present conducting a mission hereof The following resolutions were carried: \& That this mass meeting of cithsens :!m of' Dunedin, believing that the vice of %M gambling has been greatly increased-by the licensing of bookmakers, calls npori'jn the Government to take steps to hn-;JI mediately repeal the law under which they are so licensed, and.to prohibit?' all forms of betting by bookmakers * throughout the Dominion. ' i That this meeting calls upon the Gov- V; ernment to introduce legislation this ses* j: sion either to suppress the totalisato*-<J or to ascertain public opinion thereon ? by submitting the question to the eleCf i tors of the Dominion by way of relet-J endum. ****-,!

Tlmt this meeting, while recognising that exhibition? of moving pictures of, innocent and healthy nature- are a, source of information and amusement, desires to enter its emphatic protest; against exhibitions in the Dominion of Alms of the recent Johnson-Jeffries fight —a display of which must inevitably, lower the moral tone of the community,! and calls upon the Government to tajra

measures necessary to prevent such «x« hibitions. '^"JlTlsfi