A NATIONAL DISGRACE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 181, 20 April 1918, Page 8

A NATIONAL DISGRACE

Sir,—A number of men were- hurrying down Willis Street • early this morning anxious for the latest war news, and it would have done some of you pressmen good to have heard their language when they saw the contents bill of the dailies devoted t6 two items only, viz., the war and the races—the races occupying the greater prominence, and lamenting as "n national calamity" the scratching of Biplane, and giving the briefest account of the terrible conflict in Europe in a limited space abovo it. Who is responsible for this immoral and disgusting attitude of our daily journals? It would be interesting to know. Anyone acquainted with the trickery and "morality" of the Turf knows pretty well that that horse wafi scratched because of its owner's refusal to associate with "hookies" and the "mighty dollnr." And at this terrible time the Press gives greater prominence to this flagrant species of fraud called "sport" than to the newe from the front.' On opening our papers we find:—"The scratching incident spoilt what must have otherwise been a record meeting, and the totalisator recorded ,£«,913 during the day as against ,£18,002 last year. Not one word of protest is uttered by the Press against this terrible and criminal increased expenditure of .£27,911 over last year—and at a lime when the Red Jersey appeal is on at tho Town

Hall and the "tank" cadging in oal streets.

Tho Sedition Act forbids' the ezpre»sion of one's feelings at such flagrant and cowardly .liusiuyalty to our troopa and the 'Empire. Such arrant hypocrisy on the part 01 our legislators, publio men, and citizens! What do they cave for the poor "hoys" at the front—many of them children just out of their teens—or of the Empire's safety so long as tins grossly immoral "sport" can be indulged in by thousands of useless and lazy apologies for men"? Non-essential industries are threatened with extinction, in the interests of the Empire, but this gambling, butting, and so-called "racing," the greatest of all non-essenti'.ils at all times, can flaunt.its hydra-headed crimes and vices in open defiance of decency, decorum, patriotism,, loyalty or Empire.

A fev wt-eks ago frantic appeals wore made to the citizens of this city "to save the Empire and win the war" by placing the Government's "minority representative" in ' Parliament The women and girls did this, and the "siiviouv of (lie Empire" got in, but as Mayor and M.P. for the first city of the Dominion he hasn't the courage or utters no protest against, this worse—fnr worse—menace to society than all the Socialism and Ked l'edism he so eloquently denounced at his election. Echo answers, Why? Because it is. well known to all and sundry that the Government itself, Cabinet and M.P.'s, together with all public men, has "an interest" in racing—an "interest" stronger than their "win-the-war" policy or patriotism. 'Tis a disgraceful insult to the brave lads who give up .their alllife itself—that such thorough cowards, such contemptible shirkers, should wield their pernicious influence in the interests of such vices, am\ do so unchecked or unchallenged—not even lifting their little fingers in protest at a time of the very Empire's perilous existence.—l am, etc., AUSTEN GLENDOWER. [The extravagance and inaccuracy of our correspondent's very violent effusion discounts an otherwise legitimate protest against the excessive amount of horse racing' which is permitted in war time. The amount of racing certainly has been cut down, hut in view of recent developments there is room for further curtailment. In the case of the Manawatu Baring Club, ! to which our correspondent makes special reference, the increased totalisator turnover there meant a handsome addition to patriotic funds, tms clnb having for some time past given alt its profits for patriotic purposes. ■} lie assertion that more prominence is given in the daily Press to horse racing than to the war is unadulterated nonsense.J