THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1882. THE INFLUX OF VISITORS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2495, 5 April 1882, Page 3

THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1882. THE INFLUX OF VISITORS.

Considerable apprehension, to judge from the correspondence appearing in the papers, seems to be felt as to tho provision for the accommodation of visitors daring the 'Exhibition. Mr. Hall, iu his letter this morning, suggests that thero should be an inspection of hotels, so as to see that tho whole of tho available accommodation therein was utilised. Wo are inclined to think that, as regards the hotels, Mr. Hall need he under no apprehension. The very plain and distinct warning conveyed by the Chairman of the Licensing Committee to the proprietors of hotels has had its due effect. The public may feel certain that the Licensing Committees will t ike care of their interests in this respect, and already a very marked improvement has taken place, following upon the warning given, in some of tho hotels which np to now have been closed to tho wayfarer requiring accommodation. It is far more to the private means of meeting the demand that we must look than to the hotels. These are now, long before the rush sets in, full to overflowing, so that tho steps suggested by Mr. Hall in his letter of to-day arc unnecessary. Tho sports and entertainment committee have also done their best to afford information to strangers in search of lodging. A register has been opened at the City Council office, in which those having rooms to lot can register their names and addresses. It will thus bo seen that everything has been done that can be by both the licensing authorities and the entertainments committee. It now remains for those who desire to let their rooms to avail themselves of tho opportunity afforded them by the register, so that strangers may see at once where there is a likelihood of obtaining accommodation. Of course, this is an extraordinary occasion, and no doubt many persons outside the ordinary run of lodging-letters will take advantage of the sunshine of tho Exhibition to make a little hay. Wo hope, therefore, that such persons as these will come forward and let the public know that they are prepared to take in some few, at least, of the army of wanderers. OUR NATIONAL SPORTS. For some reason or other, though no doubt moaning well, the course pursed by the Canterbury Jockey Club in tho matter of our national sport has been anything hut tending to make it successful. On the contrary, racing in Canterbury has been gradually but surely becoming inferior to that in other cities of a similar size. Canterbury ought iu racing, as in agricultural and pastoral exhibitions, to he tho premier in New Zealand. Tho public, though, as we have pointed out in a former article, entirely ignored by the Jockey Club, yet contribute well. Wo are thus enabled to offer good stakes, bat still in racing matters we are a long way behind Otago, alike in management and general details. Now the C.J.O. have gone a step still further backward. At tho recent meeting of the club a resolution was passed affirming tho desirableness of the handicapping being done by a committee, a Coarse which cannot but result in dis* satisfaction. It is not, however, our intention on tho present occasion to discuss the pros and cons of

this question. What we want to call attention to in the interests of the public, and as deeply affecting the success of racing in Canterbury, is the appointment of two owners of 1 horses on the committee to frame tho handicaps. Not only R ro these gentlemen owners of horses themselves, but they have such relations with others as practically to mean that they will be handicapping their own horses, or those in which they are interested, in nearly every race. In fact Mr. G. P- Williams put this in plain language to tho members of the Jockey Club at the meeting to which wo have referred. His words so fully and ably express what wo moan that we give them as reported. He said : ‘He did not think outside owners would care to have their horses handicapped by a quorum of throe Canterbury owners. Then owners would bo almost sure to handicap their horses according to their worst running. It seemed to him that a magistrate might just as well sit on the Bench to try his own case.” Now, it seems to us that Mr. Williams put the case in a nutshell. Without wishing for one moment to impute anything wrong to the two gentlemen who have been elected on the committee —who no doubt when their horses como under review would hold the balance perfectly equal—wo cannot but think that it is bad laste on their part to act at all. It. is not likely that owners in Otago, Wellington or Auckland will care to send their horses down here to bo handicapped by tho very owners they are sure to be competing against throughout the meeting. Hence our races will loose the attraction of outside horses competing with our own, and tho boat interests of sport must suffer. The committee may handicap excellently, may in fact surpass anything far and away that we have ever had here, and yet we say it is a mistake to allow anyone, whoever ho may be, who owns horses, or has an interest in them, to have tho power of influencing the handicaps. THE COMING CARNIVAL.

The sports and entertainments committee in connection with the Exhibition deserve, we think, far more support from two sections of the community at least than they appear to have received. In making his financial statement at the meeting the other day, Mr. Thomson informed those present that all the drapers of the city had contributed only £lB between them. Wo cannot help thinking there must bo some mistake hero. If there is ono class of the community which will benefit largely by the festivities intended to take place it is the drapers. The amount of frills and furbelows which will be required is sufficient to make poor paterfamilias go out of his mind. And yet in support of all those balls, concerts, &c., every one of which moans a large accession of business, these gentlemen contribute something like 5s each This is rather too bad, but still we have hopes that the drapers of Christchurch will yet retrieve their character for liberality, and come out with a good subscription, so as to enable the committee to carry out their programme in its entirety. The other section of the public—the hotelkeepers—only need being called on to respond. They in common with the drapers will reap a plentiful harvest during the Exhibition, and doubtless they are prepared to give in proportion.