THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1908. RACE-COURSES AND THE BOOKMAKER NUISANCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9072, 24 April 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age. MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1908. RACE-COURSES AND THE BOOKMAKER NUISANCE.

As time goes'on the operation of the law relating to the admission of bookmakers to - racecourses proves ever more conclusively the undesirable character of the provisior. Almost anyone appears to be able to secure a permit to wager on a course, because of the invidious position in which the Act places clubs. They are bound to admit any "penciller'' of reputable character, so long as ho pays the fee prescribed by the racing authorities. This virtually means that only out-and-out bad characters can safely be barred the j grounds, for the onus of proving that an applicant is not refutable is placed apparently upon the management of a club. There is another difficulty in the way of limiting the influx of bookmakers, whether their reputation be good, indifferent, or bad. The law prescribes a maximum fee of £2O per day for admission, but as soon aa the clubs began to take advantage of this provision to minimise the bookmaking evil, which for yeare many of them tned strenuously to abolish altogether, the Attorney-General stepped into the

breach on behalf of the bookmakers and threatened the clubs with cancellation of their licenses "if they were not reasonable!" The position now is that while theoretically the State condemns gambling, as is shown by the general provisions of the Gaming and Lotteries Act, it has forced the thing upon the unfortunate racing clubs, who have shown in every practicable way their hatred of the presence on their courses of the bookmaking fraternity. Whether or not the attitude of the AttorneyGeneral has encouraged bookmakers to go beyond the legitimate bounds of their privileges, the fact remains that bookmakers are becoming more and more numerous upon the racecourses of the dominion, and that there is a serious and growing leaven of undesirables among those admitted by the racing officials. From various parts of the country complaints are rife as to the "taking down" proclivities of certain "penciliers," and of the evasion of both A<it and regulations by a large proportion of the bookmakers. To such an extent have these practices grown of late tnat the head of the police in the Wellington provincial district intends, we underI stand, to report very strongly upon j the subject in the hope of having the present unsatisfactory condition of things remedied. If the police in other districts take similar steps., perhaps even the Attorney-General j may find it advantageous to help the clubs to reduce the bookmaking nuisance. When one reflects upon the matter, it is a remarkable insult which the law has placed upon the racing clubs of the dominion in compelling them to receive upon their private properties a class .of men to ply a calling which the law holds to be pernicious when practised anywhere else.