TOTALISATOR PERMITS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1921, Page 8

TOTALISATOR PERMITS.

MINISTER EXPLAINS POSITION. PROMISES TO BE KEPT. The change in the position regarding the issue of permits by the Totalisatoy Commission set up under the Gaming Act Amendment of last session, was referred to in the House on Monday by Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North), He reminded the Minister of Internal Affairs that the Prime- Minister had promised that no new permits would be issued without the matter having been consideied 'by Parliament. A statement had been published implying that that promise would be broken, and he would be very glad to receive an assurance from the Minister that this would not be the case. The Hon. W. D. Stewart said that there would be no difficulty in giving effect to the promise made last session. He had looked very carefully into the matte’* which’ had been raised in the Legislative Council. It was true that the racing season started in August and the commission was to report in Julj It was anticipated that Parliament would meet some time in September or thereabouts. Very little r&eing was done in the early spring, however, It should be possible to arrange that any extra permits should not be made available during the early part of the racing season. If any meetings to be affected were fixed for earlier than the time when Parliament met, they would be held up in some way until Parliament had had an opportunity of considering the report of the commission. He did not think there would be any difficulty about that.

The position with regard lo the published statement was that the newspaper making it was wrong. Under the original Gaming Act the Minister of Internal Affairs was authorised to issue the permits allowed by the Act, In the legislation of last year, while it was stated that the Minister was to issue hunt club permits, it stipulated that when the report of the commission came in it was to be dealt with by Ortaking the responsibility from the Minister and placing it upon the Cabinet. The Prime Minister’s promise would be kept, and there would be no difficulty about it.

“The Government proposes to ®ive Parliament an opportunity of reviewing the report of the Racing Commission before any additional licenses for the use of the totalisator are granted,” said Sir Francis Bell, replying in the Legislative Council to a question asked by tAe Hon. M. Cohen,