THE GAMBLING EVIL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10521, 9 January 1912, Page 5

THE GAMBLING EVIL

SIR ROBERT STRUT'S VIEWS, j i By tdfjruiih— Press Association.) ROTOR/UA, last Night. Before .the: 'New South Wales Totalizator OcmriK«.sioii to-day, Sir Robert Stout said he considered the only toy to j/nt d.own ti.-vn ibling was by a strong public opiffS&iu He dad not favour the introduction of the totailisator into Australia. Racing, he considered, did awst prove a valuable odjraet to social' lite. If it thought wrong to aSbv.* lotteries, then* should be nio gair.ibling permitted. Gambling was an injury to the I'lß'P, and should he put down. The bookmaker had got such a hold on the young people of New Zealand i>n Itlie past that the Government had to step in and abolish him. He regarded; the bookmaker as a para,site. In reply to a question, Sir Robert said lie thought w the t-oialasator were introduced into Australia, more women would be induced to bet thlm was the case at present. A lottery meant that a person gained Komtet. 1 t'ng at the eyipen.se cf sc-me otlieir I person. He considered a great irmui bor of, people stayed away from tho race* at the pi'esent time' owing to the gambling ek'.irrnt. A person could get sport without getting it at the expense of soii.'eli\;dy else. H'e jv/r-verl ,'f /;a rbolr.h«l tl;3 bookmaker and replaced him by the total is-a tor, gprnliliing would not de--1 <*.reafH\ hut a\ou'M. in fact, increase. He was absolutely opposed to gambj 'jv.ig int any form. Tho guni'bling sp'ii ait had increased enormously droning j the last forty year:-. - Credit betting ! wuvs. worse than cash betting, ff the ! -pubKo 'COJ'iseieiX'e was not as yet sufi tfk-iently advanced to put down all ! gambling, the proper i-tong to do was j -to j ;V: 'it cbwii as mwli as possible.