THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8991, 28 November 1907, Page 6

THE GAMING AND LOTTERIES BILL.

The Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Bill, which has passed "both Houses of Parliament, is a drastic measure—iii some respects it seems to us absurdly so, fays the Christchurch Press. For example, not only are newspapers prohibited from publishing "lips" regarding horse races for which provision something may be said in its defence —but they must not, after a race, publish as an item of news the dividend paid on any race by the State legalised totalisator. This seems to us an unnecessary piece of interference with the right of the public to know what is going on in the world. It is the more unjustifiable because newspapers published outside the dominion are expressly exempted from the penal clauses, and may be sold to any extent in New Zealand, although they contain reports of totalisator dividends, and even "tips" for coming races. This will no doubt be hailed with delight by the proprietors of one or two disreputable sheets which in addition to betting news contain matter of a more objectionable character, and whose circulation in these, islands will probably increase largely owing to the special privileges thus conferred upon tham by the New Zealand Parliament in its wisdom. The Sydney and Melbourne papers —not only established journals, but the mushroom sheets which will no doubt spring up to meet the new demand—will be able, if not to "steal a horse," at least to prophesy about him to their hearts' content, while New Zealand journals will not be able to "look over the hedge." Apparently it will be illegal in future for a writer in a New Zealand journal to compare the merits of racehorses entered for a race—at any rate to write about them in such a way as to indicate which is the speediest "goer." We are accustomed to some curious legislation in New Zealand, especially as effecting newspapers. The law of libel is the most antiquated in the British Empire, and now it is actually made a crime to write about the speed of a horse!