RACING AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3094, 26 May 1917, Page 8

RACING AND WAR

WELLINGTON CLUB PRESIDENT'S VIEWS NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT 1 At the opening of the now ward of Trenthnm Camp Hospital yosterdav tlio president of the Wellington Racing Club, Mr. J. B. Hnrcourt, referred to tho question of reducing racing during the war. "There, has been considerable correspondence in tho papers of recent dales," ho said, "regarding the reduction of racing, and even the discontinuance of it, but I think that visitors and others who hold these- views have not carefully considered the subject, and I may say at once that if the curtailing of racing would in any way assist in bringing this war to an end it would have the most hearty support of every steward and momber of tho club. Wo know that in England racing has almost ceased—but why? Because the railways are wanted for tho conveyance of munitions of war and for the conveyance of troops, etc.. and thereforo cannot convey horses and file public to race meetings. ■Moreover, races would take many workers away from the munition factories. Wo have no such reasons out here for the stopping of ,race meetings, but there are strong reasons why the meetings should be allowed to continue. First, it would inflict enormous loss upon horse-owners and breeders, and those employed in connection with racing, and throw a very large nmnlxir out of employment who are unfit for any other class of work, and who would become a burden upon the State. It would deprive the State of a very largo revenue. I cannot 6ay whht it is, but I have heard it estimated at any sum between .EMO.OOO _ and one million, 'and taking into consideration the, various sources of revenue connected with race meetings, probably the larger sum is not much over tho amount received directly and indirectly from Tace meetings. Now tlioso who advocate abolition of race:meetings must not overlook tlio fact that if race meetings are stopped some other .means must bo found to raise the same amount of revenue. .'..'■ Racing on Holidays.

"It. has been stated that race meetings take people fiom. their; work,, but, as a'matter, of'fact, inost race' meetings aro held on holidays or half-holidays. Take our own club. Wo race on nine days in tho year, and only two of these are on afternoons which are not either public holidays, semi-holidnys, Saturday afternoons, etc. Such being the case, one cannot say pcoplo are taken from their work. Wo know too well ! that people will not work on holidays, and if there aro no. races there will be other attractions, The Totalisator Returns. "Persons are often shocked at tho amount of money put through the maohine, and speak of it with horror as showing the awful extent of gambling. Has anyone ever givon consideration to the subject and tried to arrive at an idea as to the sum. of money it would require to : . reach the amount published as having been put through the machines at a meeting? You can quite understand twelve sitting round a table and all engaged together in business, and the person at the head of the table pays his neighbour ,£lO to liquidate a debt, and tho receiver again passes it on until it returns to the original owner, thus tho £W ends up in paying i£l2o of debts. It is so'with tho totalisator, and I will give-you' an actual illustration. 1 know a caso where a person went to a Christchureh race meotirig and took with him .£l2. At the end of eight days' racing ho had with that .£l2 put .£l4O through tho machine, and had a small balance loft. So you see it does not take so much to give these large returns; tho money goes through arid through the machine, and in tho end the State gets a substantial sum towards tho revenue from persons who otherwise would not contribute. ,We have no proprietary clubs in New. Zealand, and thereforo nil the funds derived' from racing is spent in stakes, improving the course, giving better accommodation to tho public, and last, but not i least, for patriotic purposes." '