The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1927. A STUPID DEFECT IN THE GAMING LAW.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10301, 10 January 1927, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1927. A STUPID DEFECT IN THE GAMING LAW.

11 seems that, whilst the Government of this Dominion remains inactive on the matter, the present very questionable law which forbids the publication of totalxsator .prices outside racecourses must stand. The enactment aims, of course, at the discouragement of ‘"gambling but, as it so happens, it merely restricts the avenues per medium of which the information which the newspapers are required to suppress find means ot dissemination. As is patent, it is open to any patron of a turf meeting, upon his return from the course, to acquaint his friends with the dividends in respect of all the events, glut that is not all. Those interested in results of horse races held in this country—no matter what district may be concerned —may, within a short period after an event; learn from bookmakers and their assistants in every community the extent of the dividends. The press, in the circumstances, has every right to complain of unfair treatment on the matter. It certainly is not a ereditaMe state of affairs that the Government, whilst professing to lie acting in the interests of the people by restricting the rights of newspapers in this particular regard, should avail itself of the chance to make additional revenue by providing the meansin this case the Telegraph Department —for disseminating to bookmakers and their agents for the information of their clients the very information (sent in code no doubt) that it claims should not he placed at the disposal of the public as a whole. The Government’s attitude on the matter is, in short, hypocritical and the more so because it sets out, on the one hand, that hookmaking is a menace and, on the other, it allows itself to be a party to a condition of things in respect of which those engaged in that so-called illegal occupation arc enabled to boost themselves in the eyes of that apparently large section of the people which indulges in what is known as '‘punting.”' In short, a fair way of putting die position would seem to bo this. that the Government foolishly reckons that no harm results from the pulflication of dividends to racegoers on a racecourse or to the punters through unauthorised channels but that, on no account must the general newspaper reader have that information placed at his disposal in what, as regards other Classes of news, is held to he --and, of course, is—a perfectly legitimate method! In connection with the subject it is of some interest to learn that, after a four years, battle, a like enactment on the part of the Michigan Legislature lias now been held to be ultra vires. On its part, the Detroit press lias, it appears, been successful im its stand that, as far ns any section of the American people is concerned, a law of that nature amounts to a violation of the constitutional privilege of tho freedom of the press. By way of a compromise, it was suggested by those favorable to the disputed law that it should be altered so ns to provide for tlie publication of the betting results

only after the lapse of some days, but the proposal was not perseveiea with on the ground that the law if so altered, would simply be an evasion of the rights of the American newspapers. The Government of this Dominion should seriously review its law on the matter as it is clear that it works more harm than good.