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BETS BILL. PROCEEDS
AS FOES CALL
MASS RALLY
The Betting Control Bill for the legalisa
tion of starting-price betting passed the
Committee stage in the Legislative Assembly
last night after an all-afternoon debate on
most of its 30 clauses.
Meanwhile the Methodist Mission to the Nation
has organised a mass demonstration against the
Bill, which will be held on the Perth Esplanade on
Sunday afternoon.
The third reading of
the Bill will be put to
the vote of the Legisla
tive Assembly on Tues
day afternoon.
So far no major amendment
has been made to any of its
provisions.
If carried, as is likely, the
Bill will then be sent to the
Legislative Council, which
may take longer time over the
measure.
Government members are op
timistic that the Bill will sur
vive the second reading stage
in the Upper House but feel
that amendments will be made
to it during the Committee
consideration of it in the Coun
cil.
Club Inquiries
In the Assembly last night,
an amendment designed to
allow stewards of the Western
Australian Turf Club and Trot
ting Association to inspect
books kept by starting-price
bookmakers was secured by Mr.
Abbott (L.C.L., Mt. Lawley).
At the suggestion of the Min
ister for Police (Mr. Styants)
the amendment was altered to
provide that the stewards could
ask for information only if they
had the consent of the secre
tary of the board.
Mr. Abbott said that betting
sheets would give necessary in
formation when an owner was
asked by stewards whether his
horse had "tried" and had been
backed by him or not.
His amendment also provided
that club officials could make
copies of starting-price transac
tions.
Goodwill
An amendment providing that
the' goodwill attached to regis
tered premises which changed
hands should be assessed by the
Betting Control Board and paid
to it by the new licensee was
moved by Mr. Brady (Lab.,
Guildford-Midland).
Mr. Brady said that the
amendment was designed to en
sure that there would be no
trafficking in registered betting
premises and that the pubhe
would receive whatever good
will was created by the betting
activities of the community.
The amendment was support
ed and opposed equally by Op
position and Government mem
bers.
Mr. Styants said that it had
already been decided that there
should be no transfer of good
will between one licensed book
maker and another.
The principle which must now
be decided was whether the
board should be in a position
to charge premiums on new i
cences.
The amendment was defeated
on the voices.
Mr. Yates (L.C.L., South
Perth) secured a new sub
clause providing for the licens
ing of bookmakers' employees.
He said this would give some
control over the type of persons
employed.
Prohibition
Members from both sides sup
ported a new clause moved by
Mr; Cornell (C.P., Mt. Mar
shall), which provided that
persons likely to impoverish
themselves or their families
through excessive betting. could
be prohibited from betting.
The clause, which was agreed
to on the voices, provided that
two J.P.'s could prohibit such
people for a year.
The order could be renewed
if they had not reformied.
The clause also provided a
£25 penalty for a bookmaker
Who took a bet with a 'person
he had been notified was pro
hibited, and a £5 penalty for
a prohibited person who loit
ered around a racecourse or
licensed premises for the pur
pose of betting.
Members said that although
the provision would be difficult
to police, it might have a good
effect in small towns where
individuals were known.
Dame Florence Cardell Oliver
(L.C.L., Subiaco) said it gave
some respectability to a "de
testable" Bill.
Mr. Styants moved an amend
ment to limit the life of the
Betting Control Act to De
cember 31, 1957.
An amendment by the Leader
of the Opposition (Sir Ross
McLarty) to set the limit at
December 31, 1956, was de
feated on a division on party
lines by 21 votes to 14.
The amendment moved by
Mr. Styants was t'arried on the
voices.
Fighting-Mad
Missioners
Renew Attack
The Methodist Mission to the
Nation was fighting-mad
against the Betting Control
Bill, the secretary of the mis
sion (the Rev. R. Mathias)
said last night.
He was speaking at a largely
attended rally in Anzac House.
He said that members of the
mission were indignant at
its implications and intended to
let themselves go at the Es
planade demonstration on Sun
day afternoon.
The leader of the mission (the
Rev. Alan Walker) said that
a hard blow against the Bill
at this time might mean the
end of a move which could
bring moral degradation to this
State such as no-one had ever
imagined.
The people of Western Aus
tralia had about one week left
in which to protest against the
Bill.
He pleaded with them to act
"to save the community from
the desperate, retrograde step
that was suggested."
Mr. Walker added that it was
up to citizens to make such a
great demonstration against the
Bill that it would give the Gov
ernment, even at this late stage,
a good reason for drawing
back from the calamitous
course it was taking.
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