SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 2 December 1907, Page 3

SPORTING.

* FEILDING RACES. SECOND DAY. Per Prosa Association. Feilding, Last Night. The weather was again fine, and there was another large attendance. Results: York Stakes.—Moriarty 1, Orton 2, Waipaku 3. Scratched: Gawain and Toa Tulii. Won by a length and a-half easily. Time, lmin 15 3-ssec. Nikau Hack Handicap. Motoa 1, Catapult 2, Green Leaf 3. Scratched: Xukutihi. Won by two lengths. Time, Imiu 15 2-ssee. Manchester Handicap.—Moral 1, Irish Rifle 2, Saga 3. Scratched: Frisco. Won by a length and a-quarter. Time, 2min Bsec Cheltenham Hurdles.—Sen Sim 1, Le Beau 2, Pushful 3. All started. Won easily by a length. Assaycr fell. Time, .'Smin 17 2-ssec. Welter Hack Flat—Belario 1, Daisy Paul 2, Rpeciosa 3. All started. Won by a bead. Time, lmin 57 l-ssee. Railway Welter. Chatterer 1, The Stake 2, The Rand 3. Scratched: Contender. Won by a head Time, lmin 20 2-sscc. Maiden Hack Scurry.—lkon 1, Boyant 2. Windage 3. Scratched: Orisio, Crucinella, Bonny Doon, Penates, Tane, Kaha. Flying Wind, Fond Memory, and Nightmare. Won by a head. "Time, lmin 8 2-ssec. linngotca Hack Hurdles.—Pantaloon 1, Royal' Bine 2, Pardon 3 All started. Won by six lengths. Time, 2min 52 3-ssec. TAKAPUNA RACES.

Auckland, Saturday Trial Handicap, one mile—Philosopher 1, Henry Havelock 2, Escamillo 3. Time, lmin -tosco. Cambria Handicap, four furlongs.— Rarata 1, John 2, Roosevelt 3. Time, 52 l-oscc. St. Andrew's Handicap, one mile and a-quarter Uranium 1, Rcotty 2, Lord Sea lon 3. Time, 2min User. ' Maiden Hurdles, one mile and a-half and 11)0 yards.—Ladv Clements 1. Grey [ Dawn 2, Omati 3. Time, 2min 58 3-ssec. Cheltenham Handicap, five and a-half furlongs —Devonport 1, Luerccc 2, Noteorini 3. Time, lmin 9see. Melrose Handicap, five and a-half furlongs.—Veronica 1, Tito 2, Lady Dot 3. Time, lmin lflsoc. Tiri Hurdles, one mile and threequarters.—Hautapu 1, St. Harp 2. Time, 3min 21 3-ssec. Pony Handicap, five and a-half furlongs.—Hopscotch 1, Necktie 2, Hiighio 3. Time, lmin 11 l-ssec. CLUB'S UNWISE ACTION.

Per Press Association. Dunedin, Saturday Bookmakers who used to be formerly charged .to for a license at Taluina I'iii-K, finding that the lee of X2U was now deinauued, wired a protest to the Premier and the lion. .Sir. -Millar, who replied that in their opinion the club's action was a very unwise one. TURF TOPICS. (By ''Atoturoa.") Waitara Kates on Thursday next. Weights for the Tarauaki Christmas meeting are due on i'ridav, December Uth. General ciitrie.-, of the Auckland summer meeting are due on the same day. The six starters in the Jockey Club Handicap at Tiniaru finished in exactly the same order as their names ligured on the race card. -Mr. (j. (.1. Stead's cast-off, Chivalry,, is now rushing over unregistered courses in Victoria.

Kaeing clubs throughout the Dominion nave, of late years, shown a pronounced antipathy to the bookmaker, and now that worthy lias been practically forced upon them by Act of Parliament, they lind the pill very hard to swallow. The proverbial coach and four can be driven through the Canning Act—«t least that portion which deals with the publication of totalizator dividends. Although the printing in a newspaper or exhibition of a document in a public place is strictly prohibited, there is nothing to prevent the utilisation of the phonograph or a gramophone in announcing the results and dividends anywhere the owner chooses!

Another ridiculous provision is that while the papers are barred from publishing dividends, the Telegraph Department continues to wire them to bookmakers or anyone who lias a friend at the other end of the wire good enough to oblige. The gentlemen who keep the seats warm in the House of Heps, evidently imagine that the punter always loses coin, and is a good tiling for the layer, which goes to prove how little the legislators understand of the subject legislated upon by tliem. How many of them would care to, let alone be able to, 'weigh out" twenty lovely sovereigns per day for the right to do business in an uncertain concern at the best of times? What sort of a rent do they call it? Twenty pounds a day for the right to come out and get put into the Bankruptcy Court. The Feihling Club wont the whole hog, and demanded the limit. Racecourse-detective Waldin expressed an opinion that a fee of JIIO inside the saddling paddock and £5 in the people's enclosure was a fair tiling. He also proposed that all bookmakers, irrespective of past records (bail understood), who complied with the conditions should be granted a license. The club agreed to this general white-washing, and let all applicants start off scratch. That they would jump at the chance to come in and get settled the club never doubted, but the odds-merchants stood on their ''dig.," and spat derisively. They weren't all' bloated millionaires, and if they gave into this first exorbitant demand, their path would be spread with "twenty-pounders" for evermore. With the tote and its first and second dividends, and the general inclination of the public to rush the machine, there is, even at a reasonable figure, very little in the game for the "l.'ll-lay-the-field" crowd. The general public patronise the tote until the funds run out, and three-penny bits are counted out to make up the train-fare, nnil then (hey crowd round to the bookie, to get n bit of credit on nags in the last couple of races. On the other hand, it may be argued that the licensed layer has not to take the same risks on the course as elsewhere, as he has the tole alongside him "to unload

superfluous 'lint stun'." and he also capthe "fivc-liob'' bettors, who, as a rule, know nothing, and only put in a few pieces of silver to have an interest in (lie race. Tin 1 usual fee at Auckland was five guineas per day, but tliose were tlie palmy days, when tlio superabundance of eoin lit up tlio landseape with a golden tinge, and beer flowed freely. Now, when money is tljrlit- and the punter sober, the latter bids warily, and generally upon information, and. with huge hurdles of twenty pounds apieee facing the bookie, it's up lln hini wring Ih' 1 perspiration out. of tin. i-illi.T fellow's shirt he is wearing. | and turn politii'ian or ,\nf Uiambling

Father Watson, who is in charge of the Wollongong parish (New South Wales!, defends the action of the eominiltee of management, of St. Xavier's f'lmnli. Wollongong. to hold a raee meeting on ISoxing Day for the purpose of raising funds for the erection of a church hall. If. 1 made the following explanation: "The raee meeting ill ipic-liou is being

ln'M quite imlppciitlont of tin- church and myself. The gentlemen who linve offered to assist in this way are Roman Catholics, anil it is intended to make the gathering more of a picnic character than an actual race meeting, as the term implies. It is no new .tiling. They arc I held in other pari* of the State, and in I this case it will have nothing to do with the church The committee will hand the proceeds over to me for building a hall for social entertainments. It is intended that there will be other athletic sports, and the whole thing will lie a picnic. The committee of the parish never consulted me. and surely if the funds of n race meeting can lie devoted to a hospital there can lie no objection to the . I purpose in view in this ease. Anyhow," I concluded I'allier Walsh, "money made out of horse-racing is much more honest | than maligning your neighbour."