COMMON GAMING HOUSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 June 1938, Page 5

COMMON GAMING HOUSES

BOOKMAKER FINED £5O. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI. June 20. Hugh Ormsby Chant, proprietor of a billiard saloon, was fined £5O and costs by Mr J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, Wanganui, today, when he appeared on a charge of having used premises as a common gaming house. Detective-Sergeant J. K. Robertson described a raid carried out on Chant’s saloon and the finding of evidence that Chant was taking bets. Chant’s explanation was that he had tried to give up bookmaking but had found it was impossible; he was forced to take bets to keep his customers. He was only taking small amounts. The magistrate said the amounts taken were apparently small, but it was Chant's third conviction. He allowed time in which to pay the fine. A WOMAN FINED. WANGANUI. June 20. Charged with having kept premises in Guyton Street as a common gaming house, Mary Cant was fined £lO and costs by Mr J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court, Wanganui, today. Detective-Sergeant J. K. Robertson said a constable had ma|le bets with defendant. Her grocery shop had later been searched and it was found a fair number of bets had been recorded. Many of them were among the grocery orders, and were hard to find. Defendant said she had only been carrying on betting in a small way and was accepting them for someone else. In view ot the fact that it was her first offence and she only appeared to be an agent, the magistrate said he would make the fine as light as possible.