RACES AND FACES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1666, 25 January 1917, Page 3

RACES AND FACES.

[By Observer.]

.Fox ton litis tin annual carnival — a two days race meeting 1 . These gala days are looked forward to with a good deal of pleasure by a large number of Foxton and district people. The course is situated within a stone’s-throw of the town upon a reserve which belongs to the Foxlon public vested in Trustees, who, by the way, have the right to appoint their .successors. The Having Club rent the ground from the Trustees. The Club spends part of ils revenue in keeping the course in order for the annual races and in maintaining up-to-date public conveniences for patrons. A caretaker jives on the property and exercises a careful oversight. The club elects annually an executive commillee whose duly it is to arrange an attractive programme and to generally supervise the club’s affairs. The race meeting is Foxlon's big evenl and it is said that it brings quite a, lot of money into the town and for two or three days lodging accommodation is at a premium. Large sums ' of moneypass through the legalised gambling machine and from the operations of which the club is able to “carry on.” The more cash -that goes through the tolalisator (he greater the club’s revenue. Cut out the gambling machine and “the sport of Kings” would soon languish, for the reason (hat all club’s Jrnitfni source of revenue would vanish and racing would then he carried on for the love of the sport. Now, gentle reader, how many clubs really do exist for the love of the sport ? Likewise, how many people attend the race meeting for the love of seeing the gee gees runf Shall 1 hazard one in a hundred"? The observations one hears after a. race meeting are; J lost so much or won so much and the extent of the several dividends. The only interest the majority have in racing is measured by the extent of their gambling speculations. Be honest, is it not so ? Some go, they tell yon, because it affords a happy reunion of old friends —a social fendevouz; some because it is good for business, as is going to Church; hut the majority go to gamble. It is Ihe gambling instinct, the greed to hazard little in the exciting expectation of gaining much, (hut solely attracts them. The “sport of Kings” —what a satire. When I saw the crowds assemble from town and d istrict I scanned as many laces as 1 could. Henry Lawson’s poem, “Faces in the Street” (lashed through my mind. Old men, young men, youths and hoys — (he faces — what a studyhShail I tell you what I read iu many of those faces. . . . Not too fast. I saw women, mothers and gaudy giddy “flappers." Here and I here the facial impress of nobility of character—hut the majority hungry for dividends. I suppose racing for the pure love of the thing is alright, hut when one has to so far lose one’s dignity and modesty by hobnobbing with race course touts, etc., who other than at Foxton’s gala time one would not condescend to lake lea with,, and do or say oilier questionable things in order to gather information for the sake of winning a Jew shillings or pounds on a gee gee which only exists as a gambling unit —then the whole thing is immoral and degrading. I admit there are exceptions, hut for every one who gambles on the (otalisalor with his or her own money at least 50 do so with other peoples and the consolidated revenue and clubs fatten on this sort of thing. I don’t mean to say that the majority who invest money on the gambling machine actually steal hut their just debts go unpaid. Unwritten tragedies have their source at such gatherings hut as we are not our brother’s keeper —who cares ?