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MUTUEL BETTING IN NEW ZEALAND. The New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review lias an interesting article on totalizator speculation in that Dominion. It was in 1S91 that the totalizator tax of one and one-half per cent, was first introduced by the late John Ballance, and since then statistics have been available in connection with investments. The large increase in the totalizator turnover is ascribed to a number of causes. To start with, it is stated that "the operation of the gaming act prevented betting at country meetings at which no totalizators have been used, and has had the effect of closing down two-thirds of those meetings. The patrons of those meetings have had to turn their attention to a large extent to the meetings at which the totalizaors are In use. Their horses have been raced at these meetings, and the fields have on an average been much larger than heretofor. The attendances at these meetings have increased proportionately. Centralisation of racing in this way lias tended to bring a lot of money for investment to all parts where the horses of the country people have been racing. The increase of population, too, and more wealthy owners entering the field for the richer prizes now to be won, have all contributed in the same direction." Further on the Review turns its attention to the amount of money the New Zealand government has derived from the totalizator, and mentions that during the past twenty years over ,500,000 has gone into the treasury from the tax levied upon the amount of each clubs turnover. "We have not." continues the Review, "run out the figures as those in the Year Rook have not shown the full amount received by the government since the two and one-half per cent, tax was levied on all receipts over and above the fourth share they have taken from the ten per cent, deducted by the clubs from the gross total of Investments. It npnears from the figures in the ollicial publication that .8,002,325 was invested last year, and that the government tax amounted to 30,495, but apparently there is a discrepancy in the grand total or the amount said to have been received, for if the sum of S,002.325 was passed through the machines up to the end or the financial year, the two and one-half per cent, tax. or tiie fourth of tin; clubs receipts from that source, would be over 50,000. For the past three years the figures show that In 1910-11 the amount invested was ,092,070, and that the government took 41,090 in that year as their share, and next year, when the turnover was 4,430,805, they received 50,920, while last year the figures given are as stated above. With the two and one-half per cent, on the receipts independent of the tote receipts the government must have received well on to 00,001 last year from this source of revenue and that if is the easiest one they have to collect goes without saying, since within a Tew days of each meeting a cheek has to be sent to the department."
