RACING IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 250, 10 July 1918, Page 7

RACING IN WAR TIME

AN ENTHUSIAST'S VIEWS ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE 1 THOROUGHBRED I t References to the subject of racing in " war time were made by Mr. John Itowo ' in his presidential address lo the New < Zealand Trotting Conference yesterday. - Mr. Rowo said:—"Last year I stated that ' .since war was declared racing and trotling combined had contributed to tho •) war not less than 0300,000, which did not - include approximately JMOO.OOO reprcscnt- • ing the usual Government tax for the " same period. Since then, after making allowance for the reduced number of J days, clubs' contributions and taxes < have been in about the same proportion. - "On previous occasions I have dealt " at length with the question of continu--5 once of racing during the war,, ann I ' wish to say, briefly, that while tho Allied j countries do not see Jit to discontinue J their sport, thero is 110 need for this ' little country, so far distant from tho 1 scene of activo hostilities, to make a • move. I will go as far as to nay that s it is the paramount duty of the Allies B to continue racing while our enemies do 3 so; and sometimes I wonder when " people say 'down with racing in war " lime,' whether they have been got at '' by German influence. It is the very : tiling that that country would have us do, and it would play right into their 0 interests for this very important and 1 obvious reason: once racing is aban- _ doned the horse-breeding industry is j. gono practically for ever, as bleeders and owners would have no further iur dncement to continue their studs in view ) of tho rapid improvement in other mod--1 ern means of transit. The time has not . yet arrived when we ran do without horses for war purposes, and Hie fact ; must be borne in mind that after the war, whether we win or lose, Germany will, unless practically annihilated, prepare for a greater war than ov»r, and will continue racing ior the purposo of keeping up the stock of military horses. Therefore her enemies, whoever they may be, will be placed at an enormous disadvantage if I hey do not possess them, j "Would it not bo suicidal on the part of the Homo Government, and hero as ; well, it' i o effort were made to keep the J breeding of horses intact and encourage | it by every possible means? Only a few ' weeks ago I read that 'even the Germans, ; who during tho last fifty years have » spent millions of pounds in importing - thoroughbreds from the very countries with which they are now at war, and • upon their national studs, recognise this fact, and aro keeping racing goin.s; today amidst alt their trials and tribulations, fully convinced it is tho only , means by which they can ensure a con* ' tinuous supply of military horses. British statesmen, at first reluctantly but ' now quite frankly, are facing tho same necessity, hi this country it has to be ' admitted even by people who arc opposed to the sport that without racing we ' should have been unablo to supply the horses that have rendered such .signal ' service to the Empire in Egypt, I'alcs- | tine! Flanders,, and Franco. ' ".Studying the great wars of the past, i it will bo found that there were many great and valuable lessons to bo learned, and ultimate good resulted to those who observed them, and that those who. did I not heed tho signs of. tho times went und?r, either as individuals or as na- ) lions. "In putting our house in order, one of ! the lessons of this war we, as (rotting enthusiasts, have lo learn is to get out i of the rut. wo liavo been in for many years, and improve tho trotting horse, I less a machine for reducing as many . seconds oft' his timo as possible than a i utility animal, not only for racing.purI poses, but' for long distanco travelling - and weight-carrying as well. There are i those of us who form the sporting pub' - lie, and there aro also those who do hot. Racegoers expect tho ideal racehorse to i be, as it were, a perfected racing ma- ; chine, whilst the general public (including a fair sprinkling of those who admire the trotter) expect that in Addition to racing and as a means of keeping the horsebroeding industry alive, it should lie-of some real value to the Stale and the possible requirements of the future."