TIN HARES

Hokitika Guardian, 17 July 1928, Page 4

TIN HARES

BETTING BAN' IN SYDNEY. DEATH KNELL OE SPORT. ‘SYDNEY, July 5. The Government’s decision to enforce tiie law prohibiting betting at tin hare meetings, which, according to the Courts, do not constitute coursing within the meaning of the State law, appears to sound the death knell of itiio spoilt, since tin hare . coursing without betting would lie very much like plum pudding without the plums. Betting will lie permitted only at thoso meetings which have already been advertised ; it will then become illegal. It was the Lang Labour Government. which pronounced its blessings upon the sport- in Now South Wales' in tfio first place. One of Mr Lang's colleagues, in fact, became popularly known as “The Tin Hire Minister” on account of the licenses issued by bis department. With the downfall ui the Lang Government and the advent of the Bavin Ministry, the lust nail was placed in the tin hare's coffin with Lhe abolition of night betting. The - latest action is the . last straw, so to speak, to break the tin hare’s back. That there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth is natural. for it lms been estimated that nearly half a million of money has bean sunk in iiu liaro coursing ventures throughout'the State. Not a few shareholders made big money in the boom period; others saw the writing on the wall and disposed of their interests. Others hung on in the belief that, with such big interests involved, the Government would not have the courage to take any drastic step.

The tin hare coursing which, although described as a poor man’s sport, was quite popular also with the bigger class of plungers, proved an Eldorado for at least one man, Mr F. S. Swindell, an American, who brought with him to New South Wales a tine hare appliance of his own invention, and introduced the new craze. According to report, he is about £40,000 the richer as a result of the successful promotion of the sport in New South Wales. With the. narent company firmly cola .dished, he left for South Africa, bat the story goes that his plans went astray there, mainly because of the fact that totalisafer privileges could not be obtained. The enforcement of the prohibition law will be a. staggering blow not only to shareholders, but also to- trainers, wlv> had imported dogs at Big figures.

Another sufleror if greyhound racing it definitely abolished will be the New ,South Wales Trotting Club, which drew about 81G,030 a year rent for the use of its track.