MORE RACING.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1920, Page 5

MORE RACING.

OUTCOME OF NEW BILL. A COMMISSION TO REPORT. By Telegraph.—-Press Association, Wellington, Last Night. Tho House to-night went into committee on the Gaming Amendment Bill (No. 2), which was originally, introduced by Mr. G. Hunter (Waipawa), and was the subject of tho recent al! night sitting.

Mr. Massey said he proposed to take the House into his confidence, and j;ay exactly what the Government proposed to do with the measure. He proposed to ask the House to pass the shoTt title and strike out the rest of the clauses and move into the Bill a series of new clauses.

Mr. Hunter congratulated the Government on its solution of the deadlock. He hoped the proposed commission would be given power to increase permits. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christehurch North) said he had no objection to a commission to inquire whether a redistribution of the existing permits would be Sufficient, or an increase of permits was necessary, so long as the House had a voice in the final decision.

Mr. Massey said he had five men in view whom he thought wcrald be impartial. Replying to the Hon. A. T. Ngata (Eastern Maori), who asked if they were racing men, Mr. Massey sand they have n knowledge of racing, otherwise they would not be of much use, but so far as he knew they were not racehorse owners.

Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton) objected to increased permits being granted by regulation until the House had an opportunity of considering the commission's report- He was afraid a commission such as suggested by the Premier, would not be altogether without bias. The decision of the Government to grant eight additional licenses to Hunt Clubs was a straight out decision to increase totalisator permits. Mr. Massey said that was not proposed. After further discussion, the short title of the Bill was passed, and progress was reported to give members an opportunity of considering the new clauses'.

DUTY OF THE COMMISSION. THE PREMIER'S NEW CLAUSES. Wellington, Last Night. Following are the new elauses moved in the Gaming Bill (No. 2), by Mr. Massey in the House to-night:— (1) For the purpose of determining the Racing Clubs to which licenses are to be granted under Section 50 of the principal Act in the racing year oomjmeneing on August 1, 1921, and the number of clays on which the use of the totalisator is to he authorised by each of those licenses, the Governor-Gcneral-in-C'ouncil may appoint a commission of Ave persons who shall make such enquiries as they think fit with respect to the aforesaid matters, and shall report to the Governor-General their opinion thereon.

(2) For the purpose of any such inquiry the commission .shall /have and may exercise all the powers of a commission under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1901, and sba.ll be. deemed to be a commission appointed under the authority of that Act.

(3) On receipt of the report of the commission under this section the Gov-ernor-General may, by Order-in-Council, authorise the issue for the racing year aforesaid of a number of licenses not exceeding the number recommended by the commission.

(4) While such Ordei*-in-Coutteil retains in force licenses may be issued in accordance therewith, notwithstanding that the number may be in excess of the number authorised to be issued by section five of the Gaming Amendment Act, 1910, as extended by the Gaming Amendment Act, 1914. (5) Any Order-in-Couneil under this section shall be laid before Parliament within thirty days after the issue thereof if Parliament is then in session, and if not then within thirty days after the commencement of the next ensuing session.

(8) If either House of Parliament, by resolution, declares that it does not assent to such Order-in-Council, that Order in-Council, and all licenses issued thereunder and not then exercised, shall cease to have any force or effect as from the date, of the passing of such resolution, and licenses shall thereafter be issued for the year aforesaid under the Principal Act, provided that the total number of licenses that may be issued for that year, and the total 'number of days on which the totalisator may he used in that year, shall not exceed the maximum number of licenses and days respectively fixed by the principal Act. The following new clause 3 is added: (1) In addition to the number of licenses that may be issued to Hunt Clubs in any year, the Minister of Internal Affairs may, on application by any Hunt Club referred to in the fourth schedule to the report of the commission appointed by the Governor-General j on the 23rd day of December, 11)14, to i inquire inter alia as to the issue of totalisator licenses (such report being printed as I-I-22 in the appendix to the journals of the House of Representatives for the year 1915), grant to that club a license to use tho. totalisator on one day; (2) not more than eight licenses shall be issued under this section in anyracing year; (3) nothing in this section shall authorise the issue to any Hunt Club of more than one license in any year.