WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1920, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE COUNCIL OF ACTION. A LABOUR PROTEST. (Special Correspondent) Wellington, Aug. 23. , The' Official Labour Party's endorsement of the policy of the Council of Action set up by the extremists of the Labour Party at Home has drawn a protest from Mr W.A. Vetych, Mr S. G. Smith and Mr E. Kellett which is likely to have far-reaching results in New Zealand even if it does not exercise any restraining influence upon militant Labour in the Old Country. The three Independent' Labour members of the House of Representatives have addressed a cablegram to Mr W. Adamson, the chairman of the recent United Labour Conference in London, pointing out that the members of the House, Mr H. E. Holland and his colleagues, who have endorsed the policy of the Council of Action represent only a minority of the unions and arc in no way qualified or authorised to speak on behalf of the workers of the Dominion.

LABOUR* REPRESENTATION. Presumably the protest of the Independent Labour members of the House will be given the same publicity at Home as the Council of Action has been careful to give the message of the Official Labour Party, but, whether this is so or not, the incident will bring into strong relief the. great gulf that lies between the constitutional and the revolutionary representat : ves of Labour. Of course Mr. Veitch and his associates are quite justified'in claiming that they, not Mr Holland and his colleagues, represent the political sentiment and aspirations of the great majority of the workers, but the fact has not been Jfammercd home as persistently as; it ought to have been. Now, however, the public has brief epitomes of the aims and attitudes of constitutional and revolutionary Labour side by side and it may weigh their merits for itself.

THE GAMING BILL. As was generally anticipated, the Legislative Council, under. the tactful guidance of Sir Francis Bell, did not insist upon the amendments to the Gaming Bill to which the House of Representatives had taken exception. Quite probably, provision for telegraphing investments to the totalisator would have made the extinction of the bookmaker more secure and obviously no great harm could have been done by the printing of the amounts of dividends, already published on the racecourse; but Sir Francis did not wish to run the risk of conferences with the House and easily persuaded the dther members of the Council to accept his view. His' own amendment enlarging the definition of "bookmaker" was nccepted by the other place and if honestly administered will do much to reduce the.volume of promiscuous gambling. >

THE BOOKMAKERS' ATTITUDE. The bookmakers frankly admit-', that the Bill is much more drastic than they expected it to be and that its provisions seem to put an end to the most lucrative part of their business. They do not admit, however! that the public has demanded legislation of this description or that the "attempt to confine betting to the totalisator is going to reduce the volume of gambling. One of their number holds strongly, indeed, that there will be more gambling rather than less and that meaiis will be found for transmitting money to the totalisator which will provide " pickings for people not nearly so scrupulous as the better class of bookmakers have proved themselves to be. As far as can be gathered from the members of the "profession" themselves there will be no attempt to kick against the pricks. They will accept the inevitable.