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Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1929, Page 4

Tire Sport of Kings is very much in the public mind at present. This week lias seen the Melbourne Cup again recur with its vast congregation of people, and the wide public interest in the great event. To-morrow the New Zealand Cup will recur, and it will be surprising how many eyes and minds will be turned towards Riccarton. On Tuesday all the world, so to speak, listened in for the result of the Melbourne Cup. We read that traffic was blocked in the principal Sydney streets where radio shops were operating. Many thousands of people listened in on their own or friends’ machines. Something similar though in a lesser degree will be happening to-morrow up and down New Zealand, while over-

seas, distant machines will be endeavouring to pick ui). tlio dominion broadcast. All this means that racing has a considerable hold on the people, and chat it is useless to seriously curtail or attempt to do so, the pleasure of the public in that direction. Yet, despite the vast public interest, not to say concern in racing, the legislature is weak enough not to deal with the administration of the law, so that the racing game may be kept as clean as possible. Here in New Zealand where the sport lias been brought to a high standard of' control, sapping of the good work attempted goes on because the law is allowed to remain lax. The racing authorities have sought remedial legislation, and though the public arc beholden to those authorities for the good conduct of the sport such as it is, the legislators are slow to deal with the amendments which would help those authorities to do even better work. Certain legislation promoted at the eoimneiKcment of the session is likely now to be included in the dropped hills, slaughtered at the behest of a lew who seem able to, intimidate the situation in Parliament. It appears to us that Parliament is lamentably weak in this matter, and has been so over many years. The State derives direct and indirect revenue running into a vast sum annually from racing, and yet will not co-operate either in re pert to the law as it is or the law as it might' be ,so that the State’s share of the revenue might be substantially increased. Seeing that the sport is here to stay and that big figures result in the general effect of the conduct of racing, it is due to those who undertake the management of the sport to give them all possible support needed to improve and enhance the value of the pastime to the country, and the great concourse of people interested in the furtherance of legitimate racing interests,