THE RACING MUDDLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 50, 21 August 1911, Page 4

THE RACING MUDDLE.

The fact that a sum of £150,000 was put through the totalisator in three days at Christchurch is an indication of many things. One is that the cutting out of the bookmaker has sent the people (locking to the machine, where they must necessarily invest larger sums. Another is that the cutting out of many country clubs and the diminution of racing days sends people to the centres where racing still holds sway. Another is that the people still persist in gambling. In the House of Representatives there has been a vigorous discussion on the Racing Commission's report, and the Hon. J. A. Millar, who is quite frankly a patron of horse-racing, lias said he fully agrees with the work the Commission has don« in wiping out various clubs, and so on. Also, he remarked something about the "farm horses" that ran in some country races. If racing amuses people it seems to us it doesn't matter whether nervous equine aristocrats or working bullocks race. The breed of the beasts has nothing whatever to do with the question. Men have been known to race cockroaches across a mess-table on board ship for the love of sport (and the bet). One might be inclined to believe that the Racing Commission in its vigorous onslaught did what it obviously intended to do—'.rouse the people to protest against an attack on their sport. It is not a question of the right and wrong of racing or of betting, but a question of interfering with the amusements of a mass of peoplo liere and increasing facilities for a mass of people elsewhere. A diminution of race days and the killing of country clubs will, of course, be of some assistance to the wealthier horseowners. Thero will probably be larger stakes, less travelling and fewer small horse-owners or half-owners or 'lessees of horses. In fact, it is likely that with the kindly assistance of purifiers of the turf a racing trust or racehorse combine may grow up, The Racing Commission has kindly consented to increase the income of a select few clubs enormously. The Government itself has, in its hypocrisy, arranged that .as bookmaking is wicked the totalisator shall be used more extensively, and the State dividend increased, by making country people flock to a central totalisator meeting. The probability is that Parliament is at present a little nervous about this race business, and will in due course permit the country people to revert to the old order under which it was no more sinful to back a horse at a small meeting than at a large one. Such a howl has gone up from the country that Parliament must hear it. That the country has too much racing there can be no doubt, but in making a reduction it seems reasonable that the bigger clubs should be made to suffer equally with the country meetings, on which the Racing Commission has bestowed practically all its attention.