A TAX ON BETTING [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Sut,. an old Liberal I welcome your support of a tax on betting, and I regret that Canon Peter Green cannot see that the simplest way of checking a thing is to tax it. Still more do I regret his support of that most dishonest and dishonour- able' action—pleading the 'Gaming Act, Surely the clergy should be the last men to-condone a species of perjury and theft ! lint-livotild beg you not (for the present at least) to ProPodeli'illikt on bets.- Let us impose a licence duty on book- Makers lig" impose one on publicans,' and leave -them to dale& the'money.from' their clients as the publican does. The dutY,tiliotild'be–tt stibStaritiarone=say, £50 for the ordinary boOluttiliter; £20 for every authorized clerk Or agent. Extra-payments-Might be asked for a licence to bet on Certain race-courses, or in respect of registered Offices ; thmi in a year or two the duties might be revised upwards, as the publicans' licences were revised in 1909.
With such a system we should have, the working classes on the 'side of, the law : at present they ,are against, it, because they see that rich men can bet as much as they,like.—I am, ir, &c., J. E. ALLEN. Mitre Court BnildingS, Temple, E.P. 4.
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