IF RACING WERE SUPPRESSED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 935, 30 September 1910, Page 4

IF RACING WERE SUPPRESSED.

OPINION OF ME. J. B. HAECOUET. In his address to members of the Wellington Raoing Club,' the president (Mr. J. B. Harcourt) says:—-J should be wanting .in my duty if I failed to acknowledge the • valuable services rendered to the racing oommunity by Sir George Clifford, more especially in his recent memorandum presented to the House of Kepresentatives. In this document, he points out that there are. about 3010 horses employed in racing and trotting in New Zealand, and that the annual disbursements on account of wages and other expenses amount to about ,£635,144. • He estimates that, during race and show week in Christchurch, a sum of about 50,000 is spent. From the returns of the various racing iclubs, it-is estimated that about 240,000 people in ~ew Zealand attend race meetings, or, say 200,000, and, if each of these .people -put only a penny on every race, it would provide the annual sum put through the totalisator, amounting, to. ,£1,865,534. This certainly cannot be considered on extravagant amount.- \ The present agitation to suppress .racing would mean throwing a very large number of people out of employment, and withdrawing-from circulation a, very large, sum of money. The loss to people ,in business in "the oentres of population, where the big meetings are held, would be enormous. The loss on, railway' traffic would also be heavy. These figures : ire very astounding, and, c6nsidering the interests that are at stake,, it is the duty of those! who attend our meetings 'and- enjov "•» '™t»i*Mnuwnt provided for m, to band together and see that men. are Lu.' iai-nauient who will, prevent a wrong being done to that large sec-: fion of the public who enjoy a day's rao-, '.ng. It-is estimated that not less, than 1 • 000 of the people residing in Wellington attend: race meetings, and,-if these exercise their votes in the right direction at election time, men .would be returned who would see that so largo a section of the public are not deprived of. their . " pleasures, and. undoubtedly if the : totalisator was done away, with a very gTeat wrong would be done to racing in the Dominion, tl lectors interested in racing should keep the division list of those who voted in' Parliament on the motion for the abolition of the -totalisator," and when the next election ocours this division should be remembered.