RACING AND WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 March 1917, Page 8

RACING AND WAR.

ACT'ION OF THE C.J.G MEETING OF CONFERENCE URGED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchureh, Last Night. The Canterbury Jockey Club has hail the question of racing in war time under consideration for some time past, and has written to other clubs soliciting their views on the subject. To-day, a. special meeting of the committee of the club passed the following resolution: "That the prolongation of the war and the serious situation of the Empire is causing a strong an<l growing feeling

among sportsnien and others that an early consideration of the racing question is advisable. The committee oi the C.J.C. are strongly of opinion that the racing authorities should approach the Government with reference to any lacing matters, and with this end in view the committee urge the president of the Racing Conference to immediately call the conference together to discuss the situation."

CONTINUANCE DEPLORED. "INSULT TO BRAVE HEN," SAYS BISHOP JULIUS. «. "I regard every race meeting held at this tfne as a direct publii? insult to the brave men who arc lighting at the front for the Umpire and for us." This statement was the central feature of a brief interview that a Christchurch Sun reporter had on Saturday with His Lordship Bishop Julius, concerning Sir George Clifford's manifesto in defence of racing as usual in war

time. His Lordship made it plain that he had not yet had an opportunity of thoroughly' examining the apparently au'crtilly-prepared statement of the president of the Racing Conference. The view he'was expressing-was a general one, not based on Sir George Clifford's statement.

We had allowed racing and betting and gambling to grow to tremendous proportions in peace time, His Lordship continued, and Ave had permitted to become attached to it most undesirable elements. Yet lie was not to be interpreted as condemning racing or even betting wholly and absolutely, as it was the expression of an instinct in human nature that it would bo dangerous to suppress entirely. He was not one of those to bo always condemning everything, Still, this thing had attained to such terrible proportions that lie had been informed that even in war time the amount of betting and gambling had greatly increased. We were, as a na-

tion, encouraging it by taking a percentage of the proceeds. While brave men were fighting for us at the front and making tremendous sacrifices it was most insulting to then), and disgusting in itself, that- thpre should be to much

racing and betting and so many useless, puffy-faced people about who apparently did nothing else and thought of no-

thing else but racing, gambling and betting. Though not prohibited altogether, racing and bptting ought at this time to be severely repressed*, and the number of race meet'lngs greatly roduced. \

WILFUL OR IGNORANT? ] MR, I6ITT ON'THE MANIFESTO. Mr. L. M. Isitt, M.P., expressed himself as follows concerning Sir George Clifford's defence of racing as usual:— "First of all Sir George Clifford's racing manifesto impressed me as that of a special pleader andjiot of a man prepared to take the responsible and national view of the position. There is not the faintest recognition of the seribus fact that tlw gambling fever in New Zealand is on the increase to such an extent ns to menace both our moral and material welfaro, One would think that the most extreme racing enthusiast would deprecate a rise in totalisator investments of from £1,900,000 In 1911 to over five millions In 1917, Sir George Clifford rejoices over the Increased revenue that this recklessness brings to the racing clubs and the Government. Is this ignorance or wilful disregard of ihe Empire's good in the Interest of this very questionable sport! For any educated man to ignore the faet that, in n moment of dire struggle for the very existence of the Empire, 110 population of a million people can righteously devptp such a proportionately liugo sum to gambling, is surely ovidence that that man is not capable of taking a patriotic view of the question. Now I come to Sir George Clifford's main defence, and a more fatuous defence no racing expert could possibly have ventured upon, That we arp not at this time of crisis to Ipttrferp with racing because if we do we 'shall imperil the breeding of British cavalry horses! Two months ago I was travelling on a Clirist--churcli tramcar with a gentleman who loves racing. He started a conversation upon thp subject, and said he would not go on a racecourse as long as the war lasted, and expressed his strong conviction that racing should be restricted during the period of the wjir, and then proceeded to ridicule this very contention of Sir G. Clifford's. He said that the whole trend pf modern short distance racing was in,the direction of impairing and not improving our horses for practical purposes. But here is the point; He told me that when his son want-"away with one of the earlier contingents, he made ps his pilnd he would give the boy thp best cavalry horse ho could get. Ho communicated with a leading racing man in this .Dominion. He said: 'Now, you travel a good deal ancj see all the best of the horses. I

want you to pick pie tip ft good thoroughbred for iny bpy, ! anfj the reply was 'Don't touch them, fio to sqmc station-holder, Look Fount} a«4 pick him up a good, reliable horso there that leaves the riices jilone.' ]Let Sir George Clifford go back to the Roya) Cominission on this very question hold in Bri* tain years ago. He will find all the evidence in the Parliamentary Library, and can digest the opinion given by some of the experts there as to whether racing was improving the British cavalry horse, 'g.pd. jjp ought to know that in those days tftete fgfpr grtj|p Jong-legged, herring-gutted, arsenie-m. spired weeds scampering for* big prizes over short distances that'figure at our plain race meetings to-day. Sir Georgi talks of tbg Australians' recognition of the wonderful'improvement and beneficial influence of New Zealand racipg. W7I Sir George kindly give vo".v readers the Jifme of a dozen New Zealand JißMs ,s)s, during the past jwejve .years, woij §§ pi)f