LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1503, 27 July 1912, Page 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HON. W. F. MASSEY. Sir,—Tlio associated anti-gambling leagues of New Zealand are concerned by tho present uncertainty of the intentions of tlie Government in regard to the number of race days permitted in this land. Wi; greatly regret that the Government propose* to evade responsibility by releKiitnij,* Hie rjuestion to a private members Hill, and l>y relaxing party obligations in a matter so-vitally connected with tho social and material welfare of New Zealand. . We, for our part, shall take opportunity when the Bill lor which you havo promised "a clear run" appears, of letting you and the general public know our mind concerning it.

We wish, in the meantime, to remind you that the basis agreed" on. by the last Parliament, of 250 race days to a population of 1,000,001), is threatened not by the demand of either press or public, but solely by the outcries of interested parties, who desire the endowment of their clubs' through totalisator permits. "We submit that similar ouicries can be raised in every hamlet in tho land by groups of sporting men. Our Parliament has (in common with Australian Parliaments) recognised tho necessity, if national interests aro to be safeguarded, of strictly lim-' iting the extent of racing. We remind you that the. present basis of 250 daj's gives New -Zealand the same proportion of race days as New South Wales has to its population. We remind you that the totalisator gives to New Zealand racetiorso owners revenues far in excess of those derived from the sport in Victoria. Wo remind you that the totalisator investments in New Zealand have reached the alarming figure of £3 per head of the population, as compared with ,£1 invested in the machine in South Australia.

. Wβ remind you that the book-making nuisance is still rampant, and adds very seriously to tho magnitude of the gambling evil. We submit that, in view of all the facts,, any- Government which augments, ■. or which permits the House to augment,, tho number of race days on .any plea whatever is acting in a w.iy inimical to the best interests of the country. If tho breeding of a certain, type of horse, serviceable as ordinary race-horses aro not, were all that is desired, that can be secured on the existing basis by withdrawing permits from clubs which encourage fivo and six furlong flat races (which .servo no intelligible purpose whatever) and by conditioning the permit to programmes favouring tho desired class of horse. Wo assure you that .from one end of New Zealand to the other the voice of protest will be heard against any proposal which will increase the area of racing nnd tho Volume of betting in a land so grievously nlflicted with these evils as ours is.—Wo e ' e .TOHN G. W. ATTKEN, President. J. J. NORTH, Secretary.