COMMERCIAL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 906, 5 January 1881, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

The following is a statement showing the amount of Customs duties collected at the port of Poverty Bay, for the Quarter ending 31st December, 1880 :—

£lB9B 14 7 Corresponding quarter in previous year, £2,144 "Is. 7d.

Mr. M. R. Miller, of Napier, in his Stock and Station Report for December, remarks as follows ’ —“ Business in every description of Sheep continues active ; indeed, the amount and number of transactions in Store Stock during November and December has not been equalled since 1876. In some lines, young cross-breds especially, the market is almost bare, the increased demand for the Auckland and Tauranga markets for fat sheep having so much relieved graziers’ lands, and feed being plentiful, there was ready market for all surplus stock in breeders’ hands ; there lias also been a considerable inquiry for store crossbreds from Wanganui; but buyers from that district are unwilling to give the rates now demanded here, and are- turning their attention in some instances to merino wedders of which class there is still a considerable number offering. Young Merino Ewes are readily S laced at the price anticipated in my October ieport. Full-mouth are as yet dull of sale Cattle remain with little change ; the large exports to the north has alone kept prices firm, as local sales of fat stock continue at low rates.

Really there are some very funny and non-understandable things done in the world—by public bodies and private bodies ; and the decision of the Stewards of the Boxing Day races, at Waerenga-a-hika, appears to be one of them. It was that the owners of Lizard in the Handicap Hurdles should not have the stakes. That is our way of putting it. The resolution of the Club was as follows :—“That the race “ be considered no race, and that the “ money offered reverts to the Club.”

We are not prepared to say that, harsh as the decision is, it is not based upon a foundation of rough justice, at any rate such justice as Racing Clubs generally deal out. We are told that the decision is “ according to the laws “of racingbut if it were qualified by the fact that it is according to the interpretation put on those laws, it would be nearer the mark, for certain it is that not a word can be found in the rules under which the races are run in this district, which provides for such a dilemma as that in which Lizard and his rider were placed. The case is this : —Lizard was the only horse (of three nominations) that came to the post, the other two, Sussex and Skysail, having been scratched. Lizard’s handicapper weighted him to 9st., but Redman, who rode him, scaled out at 9st. 81b., the excess being a matter of no moment, as it was known to be a walk over. However, it was that fact which helped the difficulty that afterwards arose. Lizard took all his hurdles —which were pretty stiff—successfully, until he came to the last, when he tripped, and in falling threw his rider, who was too much stunned to remount. On seeing this, young Doleman, possibly with more haste than discretion, quickly donned the colors and rode Lizard into the weighing yard, but his weight was disallowed. as he only scaled 9st. 41b., or 41b. short of Redman’s mount. Mr. W. Mill, riding up to Redman’s weight, then mounted the horse and on arrival at the scales was refused to be weighed, on the ground that a rider cannot scale in twice, and on this decision the walk over is held to be “no “ race.” This, possibly, is the only point that is clear; and, as the rules do not emphatically meet the case, in so many words, the elasticity of their meaning is stretched to the effect of making the Club the only persons benefitted by the mishap. Experienced racing men say that a “ jock ” must always scale in the weight that he scales out; or, in other words, that, as in Redman’s case, if he chooses to ride overweight, and voluntarily saddles his horse with the extra penalty, he places himself under the obligation of returning with the additional weight, and cannot fall back on the handicap in case of accident. In fact he virtually enters into a new engagement, which he must carry out to the letter. If this be understood, it is a pity it is not so expressed in the rules, since it is quite open to question whether the logical construction of those in which the words- “ weight,” and “ sufficient weight ” occur, is not against the interpretation put upon them. Let us take an instance. The 59th of the New Zealand Racing Rules savs:

If a rider fall from his horse, and the horse be rode in from the place where the rider fell by a person of sufficient weight (the italics are ours) he may take his place, the same as if the rider had not fallen.

We do not wish to argue the point; but, without context to guide them, it is quite possible that five juries out of six would say that as the object of weighing is with a view of seeing that a rider goes and returns with not less than the already prescribed penalty, the “ sufficient weight ” is that made by the handicapper as the minimum condition of the race. We dare say the question seldom arises; but it would be better if the rules were so framed that no doubt could be thrown over their meaning. As we have said, the decision is a funny one, inasmuch as it seems to be immaterial what weight was on the horse, since it was a walk over. If another horse had run against Lizard, and he had something to beat before he could win, the position would be clear; but, as the law is interpreted, it is equivalent to entering a gnat for a

race, with a camel for its rider. The farce, as well as the deception to the public, is in allowing “ walk overs ” at all. It is only proper if all horses but one are scratched for an event, that that one should have a show for his money; but, it is a growing feeling amongst the uninitiated that this “ scratching ” business is made too much of, and that horses ought to be run, after they are once entered, unless debarred from some cause more substantial, and less open to suspicion than the mere whim of the owner.

Anent the foregoing, we quote the following ingenious suggestion made by a correspondent of the New York Herald —“You recently called attention to an evil which exists in connection with the racing tracks of both England and America, viz., the unfair riding of horses by faithless jockeys. There is unquestionably a deep-rooted feeling in the minds of by far the larger number of the ordinary visitors to a race track that it is customary to manage certain races, in the interests of certain owners and betting men. One simple remedy is to increase the surveillance over the jockeys, while riding a race, and to that end I beg leave to submit the following suggestions : —Erect one or more stands, to be used as points of observation during the progress of a race, and at each of these stands place some one who may be relied upon to direct and report any false riding or other suspicious action on the part of jockeys. The pulling of horses generally occurs on that part of the track furthest from the principal stands, and where it is difficult to see what is going on ; the location of these observation stations around the course would effectually obviate this, and tend to allay the suspicions of a great number of very respectable people, who will continue to take pleasure in seeing good horses run fair races.”

Spirits, 14s per gallon £ 1180 8. 17 d. 0 Tobacco, 3s 6d per lb 214 0 6 Tobacco (sheepwash N.Z. grown) 6 4 3 Wines 92 0 4 Bottled Ale, Is 3d per gallon ... 33 19 6 Tea, 4d per lb 102 13 2 Sugar and Molasses 128 10 3 Goods by weight... 17 7 8 Ad valorem, 15 per cent 111 9 0 Other duties 11 12 11