The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 26, 1909. WANTED – CLEAN SPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 462, 26 June 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 26, 1909. WANTED - CLEAN SPORT.

The true sportsman—the man who loves sport for what it is, not for what he can make out of it—is becoming a rarity in New Zealand. All branches of sport, from footracing to the so-called “sport of kings ” is becoming so intertwined with immorality that selfrespecting men who should be its patrons, stand aside in disgust. The bookie is top dog. “The sport of Kings”—-what a satire ! The straightest sportsman that prepares a well-bred horse for the race track, and races the animal for the love of the sport, is fooled. Thousands of people would delight to attend race meetings, but the immoral associations of the couise are an effective barrier. Our race meetings have been further degraded by the presence ot the licensed bookies. Of the two gambling evils, by far the lesser is the totalisator, The greed of the gambler and bookie is also killing other branches of sport, and this is the reason why well-to-do and respectable men of. the present day refuse to patronise sport. The problem is to find a remedy to rid sport of the parasites which are slowly but surely killing it. We regret to say that our football matches are being marred by the betting influence.