The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1908-05-02 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

MARKEY HALL:4TELEPHONE 1296.  eontribritionir to the podiets. of .the lirat named. The bookmaker is, in the slang of the fraternity, "on a certainty". all the time. whereas the backer is, by every principle Of mathematics and of logic, bound to pay for his folly sooner or later. It is generally sooner. From the point of view at common sense, therefore, beating is in the last degree foolish, and that being the case it is clearly the duty of the authorities to do everything possible to save the fool who bets from himself. We are afraid that net aearij enough is done in that direction, for we are satiefied that even as the Law stands at present mach more could be done than is being done to miaximiee this grave national evil. The bookmaker carnits on his nefarious trade practically without concealment, betting clubs flourish in every centre of population, and eiery year, every month, alniest every day, the newspapers afford evidence of the baleful results of gambling in the form of reports of gnicidee, of bankruptcies, and of crimes. In a recent publication of the AntiGambling League it was stated that during a period of twelve years, 1895-1907, there were recorded 234 suicides and attempted suicides, 3.234 cases of embesilement and theft, and 430 bankruptcies, all directly traceable to betting. To-morrow's preachers will, no doubt, deal with the moral and ethical aspects of the subject, but we hope they will not omit to allude, as we have endeavoured briefly to do, to the inherent folly, even from the lowest standpoint, of ' the practice of betting. Canon Horsley, in his ruthless expoeuree of the so-oalled "racing Prophets," has probably done as much as any MAIL in the United Kingdom to show how utterly fallacious is the idea that Jnoney is to be made by backing horses, even if they are "Captain" this and "Major" that's "naps" or "special snipe." The best way to sure a man of the betting mania is to convince him—a difficult task— that he is a fool.  This week the discussion The Second of the Licensing Bill has Reading. taken on a saner and serener guise, and readers of the debate in the HOll6O of COMDIOII6 are given the opportunity of studying the arguments fOr and against the M€6.6111'6 as put forward, without passion, by responsible men. There has been no repetition in the Howe of the accusations of "spoliation," " robbery," and the rest of it, with which the Trade and its supporters have made the country ring during the past few weeks. No member suggested that the serried ranks of the supporters of the Bill represented a gang of brigand's banded together for the purpose of bringing ruin upon a timehonoured industry and reducing to beggary an army of widows and orphans. Mr. F. E. Smith, it is true, was at little regardful as ever of the feelings of honourable opponents, but even he, extreme party man though he is, could had nothing worse of the Government to say than that the Bill was introduced at a measure of revenge for the Trade's" notorious loyalty to the Tory party. The House of Conintons is not the kind of, place where the wild and whirling words which are proper enough to a brewers' meeting can be indulged in wtith safety. The debate has served to assure the country that the Government are resolute in their determination not to amend the Bill in any esnential feature. Mr. Asquith made this quite clear, and his speech quenched the last hope o; the Opposition that he might be induced to ettend the time limit. Thit is the crux of the Bill; to all intents and purpooes it is THE Bill, for SefOTElere regard sll other provisions as unimportant in comparison with that which will give the public, in fourteen years time, complete power over a trade that h,as grown 60 strong and 60 insolent that it now darts to challenge the authority of the State itself. The 6:00E41 reading will certainly be agreed to by an enormous majority; and it will then remain for the Lords either to enlorse the Bill or, by rejecting it -altogether, or vitally amenhing it, once again challenge the will of the people's House.