RACING ESSENTIAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 252, 12 July 1918, Page 6

RACING ESSENTIAL

HUGE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WAR £640,000 IN TAXES ALONE In his address to the New Zealand llaciny Contereiico yesterday. Sir Ueorge Clifford made' interesting reference to tao subject of racing in war time. He said: "Our meeting 10-duy brings us nearly to the fourth anniversary of the first blow struck by Germany in her crimestained atleLipt to force a despotic yoke upon us. Ralentless war with far worse than the traditionary horrors of war still l,eisecuies the world. Every Briton worthy of the name has strivon to bear his individual Dart in die universal resistance, and all sections of the community have "vied with each other in collective endeavours. The exceptions are branded with an indelible shame. In this common effort the racing organisation of the Dominion has borne its conspicuous share. Enemies of racing have told us that our continuance of it during war time is a heartless mockery—wo retort that it is a bounden duty. The supply of chargers is essential to the equipment of an army even where the modern motor-driven tanks and aircraft are available. Examples of this are frequent in recant operations in France, Palestine, and Mesopotanua, and only an ignoramus would deny the necessity of the racecourse test for the effectivo horsing of cavalry. All ttie warring Governments have had the foresight to preserve tho cream of the turf for this purpose, and, not least, our shrewd adversaries. Every conceivable preparation for mture wars is ever in their minds, and thev know well that equine ccurage and endurance are qualities only obtainable by tlio use of thoroughbred sires. While racing is thus essential lo complete military efficiency, we claim for it that it presents no obstruction to war work, 'that it offers an antidote to the dangerous gloom engendered by continuous foreboding of possible and impossible disasters, and that the large and ungrudged revenue derived from it is of material assistance to the Treasury. As to the last consideration, it is calculated that racing clubs have paid in taxation for this season about ,£IBO,OOO. Voluntary donations sinco- the outbreak <if war probably exceed ,£IOO,OOO, | and the subscriptions to War _ Loans ,£50,000. The taxation paid during the past four vears will have reached and probably exceeded .CG'IO,OOO, and tkftt it has not mounted to a still greater sum is the fault of Government, and not of tho clubs. We bave readily submitted to the temporary eurtailnwnt of the days of lacing, uut we l'ail to understand why accoss to courses should be purposely made difficult whon it is perfectly Obvious that the railways are sacrificing a very highly profitable business for no perceptible or disclosed advantage. "We have opponents—some are curiouslv self-persuaded that wo are the central figures of a nest of iniquity. With these imaginative gentlemen who have probably rarely, if ever, trod a racecourse in their lives, and who consider it not mucin ly to utilise tho war in furthering their unreasoning hostility, we cannot deal. Argument and proof ;-7e equally ineffective with the invincibly ignorant. There however, others who arc honestly unconvinced that good and not evil accrv.es from present racing—l have already said something on this head, but I propose to ask, you in committee to work into practical shapo a proposal to devote all clear profits of all racing clubs for the duration of tho war to war purposes. This would be more than any other institution has achieved, and will answer those of our friends who' may have doubts about tho expediency of our perseverance. They may al&o have forgotten that owners of racing stables owe it to men. who have been in their service perhaps for many years, perhaps a lifetime, no! to cut off suddenly their means of subsistence."