§ MR. PICTONI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the observations made by Mr. Justice Hawkins, in the course of a trial at the Leicester Assizes, on Tuesday, the 13th instant, on the immunity of betting rings on racecourses; and whether he will consider if any change in the law is needed in order to put a stop to the practices condemned by the learned Judge, or, if the law is at present able to deal with the evil, whether he will consider how to quicken its operation in accordance with the declaration of Mr. Justice Hawkins, who is reported by The Leicester Daily Post, of Wednesday, to have said—
When I hear this sort of thing is done, and done openly, and is permitted by the people who take gate money, I can only say that some day or other some people will find themselves in trouble.
§ MR. ASQUITHMy attention has been called to these observations, and I have been in correspondence with the learned Judge. I have no reason to think that the law is insufficient; but I think it better that it should be left to the Local Authorities, who have fuller means of knowledge than I can possess as to the circumstances of particular places, to use their discretion as to the cases in which it should be actively set in motion.