WAR AND RACING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20039, 11 September 1939, Page 11

WAR AND RACING

THE ATTITUDE IN 1914 SPORT CARRIED ON Twenty-five years ago, shortly after he outbreak of the 1914-18 World ,ar, doubts arose among some racing iccutiv es in the Dominion wne .her ,:ey should carry on with their meetings. The climax came when the .anganui Jockey Club announced .hat" it was abandoning its spring meeting because of the war. I’his i a nouncement evoked an immediate eouke from the then president of the >cing Conference, the late Sir .eorge Clifford, and Wanganui deeded to go on with its meeting. The esuit was a turnover just shoit of the previous year’s figures. The following was the letter sen; by Sir George Clifford to the president of every racing club in the Dominion, the letter being dated August 18, 1914: —

“Dear Sir.—l desire to call the atention of racing clubs to the action of the English Jockey Club in recommending that racing fixtures should not be abandoned on account of the war. It has always been the practice ■it times of national stress to avoid mything that would create despondency, and therefore continuance of he recreations of the people has been encouraged, where practicable. From another .standpoint, it is the duty of ill who can afford it to take every precaution against increase of distress from non-employment. There must be about 5000 people, with theii families, dependent for daily bread upon the sports of racing and trotting To cease racing would throw at least half this number out ’of work—without calculating the deprivation oi earnings among workers of many different kinds during the actual holding of race meetings. The sacrifice to racing and trotting clubs would be comparatively small, if, indeed, any loss ensued. I would therefore appeal to racing, clubs to follow the British example in the common interest.” The circumstances are very difrer■nt in England now. with the everpresent. danger of bombing from aircraft, and as a result all gatherings it wf.iich crowds' would congregate have been prohibited. The same danger does not exist in New Zeaand, and it may be assumed that the attitude of the New Zealand Racing Conference remains as it was promulgated by the late Sir George Clifford in 1914.'