The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET, AUCKLAND TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1930 A CARNIVAL OF BELTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 953, 22 April 1930, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET, AUCKLAND TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1930 A CARNIVAL OF BELTING

A RACEHORSE returned a dividend of at least a quarter of a century in pounds sterling at Ellerslie yesterday, and a “trotter” at Christchurch last Saturday rewarded its backers with exactly twice that sum. Under the virtuous laws of the country, and its almost perfect system of political hypocrisy, nobody is supposed to know anything about these fugitive’ pranks of fortune on the racecourse, hut such results of betting, it one were to judge by the varied talk concerning- them, apparently were the most important events or episodes in New Zealand during Eastertide. Thousands of eminently sane citizens seemed to find it difficult to speak of anything else, and vain yearning* was the mood and mental hobby of a multitude. “Suppose, for instance, I had had a tenner on the winner. Suppose ... .” So the wishes of those who had backed the wrong horse found expression, hut what’s the use of supposing? The majority of racegoers merely supposed too late and again proved that one of a certain type is born every minute, and becomes more foolish with age.

Nowadays, apart from the devotion of a thoughtful minority, there are many different ways of celebrating Easter and enjoying the holidays associated with the festival. In all probability Aew Zealand’s way is as good as most, although some people may be inclined to think that there might have been this year less of a great carnival of betting. This form of pleasure, however, certainly was better than the characteristic orgy of paganism throughout Soviet Russia. For many years in this country it has been claimed that -the totalisator is one of the most reliable barometers of national prosperity. It stood at the right mark during the Easter racing carnival and indicated good financial weather, almost pleasant enough for the pessimists who did not put a pound on the horse that paid a quarter of a century. (One must not mention the exact amount, but it may be said that if you were looking for the number of a house on the side of the street with the houses numbered always in odd figures the residence in this case would he the one past No. 25). Altogether, there were eight race meetings (with totalisators) in New Zealand—no other country in the world had more for Eastertide sport—and close on half a million pounds was invested. Auckland, as the largest centre of population, naturally led all the rest. Its racing investments for the two days totalled £153,497, or nearly £3,000 more than the sum similarly invested at the same meeting last year. This increase in betting power was fairly general throughout the Dominion. Whatever else may sag or even fall seriously, gambling on the capricious speed of horses—a variable merit which so frequently deludes dreamers and confounds prophets—keeps up. It is perhaps arguable whether this feature of New Zealand life these days is a good thing for the country, hut no kind of moralising will change the passion of a sporting people for betting. The glib answer to all those who crave fortune rarely alters: “You must risk money to get more money.” And so it goes on. Then something has to he allowed for the pleasure of anticipation. As a modern philosopher has phrased it, “any man who hacks a horse is in a state of happiness till the race has been run: he is rich in prospect, and if to travel is better than to arrive, he is more to be envied than a rich man.” After the race, of course, there may and must be a different story to tell, hut the losers dare not whimper too loudly, lest they he classified among the weeping pessimists. And the perfect optimist always is found around a tote.

In view of the tremendous hold that horse-racing, or rather the gambling it encourages, has upon the Dominion, it is interesting to imagine what a leading representative New Zealander might say to a stranger from another planet who desired to have pointed out to him the outstanding evidences of advanced civilisation. Would he he shown the House of Representatives in full debate on nothing, or the law courts and the great hospitals? If the questing visitor merely wished to see evidence of pleasure and the ready hazarding of money for fun, then the place of convincing demonstration obviously would be a garden racecourse. There need not be any perturbation about the carnival of betting in New Zealand if the country can afford it. But can the Dominion really afford to run neck-and-neck with Australia for the leading place as the greatest horse-racing country in the world ?

THE ENLIGHTENED EAST

EXTENSION of New Zealand’s trade with Japan in particular and the East in general is suggested by a. Japanese business man who has been interviewed in Wellington, but if this extension of trade is to materialise along the most desirable lines it must be founded first of all on a basis of mutual trading. That Japanese traders may have failed to keep this principle in view is revealed by the statement that they are “looking to New Zealand more and more” on account of Australia’s almost prohibitive customs barrier, established lately to restore the balance between imports and exports. Just lately the annual trading figures of New Zealand for the past year have shown that New Zealand, too, has an adverse balance, though only a slight one. The very existence of a margin against us, however, should make us wary of entertaining the idea of further imports except where these cannot possibly compete with local products. Japanese manufactured articles are produced under such totally different conditions from those surrounding the New Zealand worker that even the existing tariff farrier does not make up the disparity. Japanese goods that enter the New Zealand market except on strict terms are creating competition from which New Zealand industrialists have a right to protection. When that is understood by those who aspire to extend Japan’s trade with New Zealand, the way for a satisfactory extension of trade relations will be much clearer. Japan, at present, is a moderately good buyer for some of New Zealand’s agricultural products, but as Mr. Yugi Nagashima admits, she has not been buying much wool this season, even at the reduced prices. Butter and honey find a market in Japan, but only to a limited degree. The great mass of the Japanese people, it might be said, know nothing whatever of New Zealand goods. Possibly this is New Zealand’s fault. A greater spirit of enterprise might find for us new markets in the East. If this is what Japanese merchants advocate, their proposition will be cordially welcomed. But if markets in the East are at present somewhat unresponsive to New Zealand exports, it is not altogether correct to attribute the condition, as Mr. Nagashima does, to the East's ignorance of the fact that New Zealand is a separate entity, distinct from Australia. If it is remarkable that there are many in the East who “still believe that New Zealand and Australia are one,” this exhibits the East’s lamentable ignorance on world topics. New Zealanders do not as a general principle confuse Japan with Korea, or assume that Vladivostok is a suburb of Tokyo. If the Japanese are confused on equally simple points, let Mr. Nagashima begin by educating his own people, not New Zealanders.