Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1892. SOME RACING MATTERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4209, 3 September 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1892. SOME RACING MATTERS.

Bkino toe extended title of the Wairakapa Daiiy, WITH WHICH II IS IDENTICAL.

The annual meetings of the various Racing Clubs will shortly bo held throughout the Wairarapa, wlien the election of officers will take place, It is to bo hoped that members will turn out in force to attend the meetings of their respective clubs, so that a wellconsidered choice may be mads of competent officials, likely to do justice to racing men and to the wee-going public, Wo believe that we may safely say that each of the Clubs has a good Secretary, who performs his duties to the completo satisfaction of all concerned. But the Mecretary to a Haoing Club must be supported by other capable officers, for it is obviously impossible that one mon should make a meeting successful, There are several very important officials on whose qualitirs much depends. First, of course, there is the Judge, who, by making the slightest mistake may bring upon some of the Club's clients tho unnecessary loss of hundreds of pounds, There is some reason to fear that the race has been given to the wrong horse more than ouco in times past within tho Wairarapa district. Next comes the Sturter, the " head and front" of every race, in many respects the most important officer in tho field. ■ H6w many times have wo not seen horses: with their heads turned the wrong way when the flag has fallen I Then again, we sometimes have t'jo spectacle of ono horse galloping twenty lengths in front of bis field in a six furlong race, the others standing still waiting for his return—and the starter said " Go I" This sort of thing is exactly calculated to disgust ptople and hunt them off the turf, The starting difficulty bus caused no end of trouble in the Bouih Wand, and, until Mr Powell showed tho public that starting could be done properly, many people were inclined to believe that a slarter-like a poet—is born and not manufactured. That the ordinary process of teaching and [experience can produce a good starter, uen connected with the tuifaroquite ready to admit \ but the office requires a man, who hap a really practical knowledge of tho business that he undertakes-onp, if possible., who has himself trained and ridden and knows the little tactips of the jockeys, When we can get such a man, we shall have a list-rate starter in tho district, In point of fact, it would wisest for our Jockey Clubs to obtain a man of this class even if they paid him a nominal sum to act as starter for the Valley. , Our jockeys would learn to have eon- • Gdence in him; they would come to respect and appreciate the man whom 1 they saw really attending to their best ! interests and those of the : r employers, 1 We bad for some years one handicap- 1 per for all our uieetings-and why not bave one starter ? How often the j liandicapper has Buffered abuse through j .lie incompetence of the wielder of the i

1 flag, it would be hard to Bay; while many a horse's cbanca has been thrown away. We think, then, from wbiit wo have seen nod heard at different times, tlmt it would be far i lie better plan to have a paid handicapppraud starter for the whole of the Wuirarapa, Many racing authorities are of opinion, too, and we are inclined to agree wi'h them, that horsos should be started fiora ut standing position, We now come to the stewards. Tliei memorable meeting of the 2nd of January, 1892,1 ms set people thinking a qoixl deal about these ollloials. Perhaps we may be allowed to hazard the suggestion that the capacity to make a speech in public is not a necessary qualification for a steward. Tho primary rpqiiirements foretewards are certainly theae—that they shall be men who know something of racing, men who make it their business to study the rules bearing on it, men of strong common sense and absolute impartiality, The station in life from which the stewards should bo drawn, is a matter of secondary importance so long as the public are convinced of the fairness, competence, and bona fides of these officers, It is important that men to whom an appeal may be made as to whether they saw anything wrong in aracoshould know a jostle or a cross when they sen one; and it is equally important that the public should have implicit trust in their possession of ilio requisite knowledge, That there are men compelent ,and willing to fill these various offices |in our Wiiirnrapa clubs, we have not the slightest doubt. If, however, the right men should nnt happen to lie forthcoming lor the most/responsible posts, such nj handicapper and stutter, we think it will ho well to give every possible newspaper publicity to the wants of our racing clubs till the proper persons are obtained.

It is not unlikely that there will bo some trouble over our local race meetings, in consequence of certain action contemplated by the forthcoming Conference, It is an open secret that the Conference will veto any races on a programme under the amount of £25, The Wanganui Jockey Club has already suppressed three or four local clubs, and warning has been given to one of the leading country clubs that its programme is not likely to be passed, It the Metropolitan Clubs are not very careful of the direction in which they are using their powors, the country clubs may bo found rising in arms against them. But, for ourselves, wo have never had any doubt tliat tho highly objectionable advance of tho 'totalisator has been largely fostered by the miserable little race meetings which we see bobbing up all over the country, ■

Wuen thefirebell rings in Masterton, even at as late an hour as it did yesterday, it is surprising the number of ladies, old and young, who turn out into tho wet and cold in response to its appeal. It is generally supposed that when the clang of the iron monitor is first heard, a woman clutches the shawl off her baby, throwing the latter to her husband as a chattel to be minded, and passes through the door like a whirlwind in the wake of her other offspring who have succeeded in getting a second's stnrt of their maternal parent. Thegood-man of the house, who might be of usu at a conflagration, minds the baby,while his wife and children, who cannot pos> sibly be of service, are basking in. the glare of the burning building. Now that tho House of Representatives accords tho suffrage to the ladies of this land, we may reasonably expect that the fair holders of it will feel some sense of responsibility, and behave reasonably in matters of this kind. It will, no doubt, ocour to tlieui that two courses are open, Either they should stop at home, when the bell rings, and mind the baby themselves ; or, they should organise a Ladies Fire Brigade, so that when there was a flare-up they could becomo useful, as well as ornamental, spectators, We suggest this alternative for consideration and discussion —formal discussion would be preferable. A Ladies Debating Socioty is a necessary corollary to the new franchise. JNo doubt there are now little gatherings in this town at which such points as, " who is to mind tho baby!" or, " should there be a feminine fire brigade 1" are mooted; but greater authority will be attached to an open vordict on such momentous subjects, and this can only bo given by a duly constituted meeting which will bo representative of the new franchise.

There is so far a clean shoot for the next sitting of thn District Court at Masterton, which is tp bo held in about n fortnight. A quantity of bankruptcy bitsinecs will, however, require to be transacted,

Tho Mastorton Town Lands Trustees have reduced their annual grants tins year to the whole of tho schools in the district. The Mastortou School has been granted £47 10a this year, tho Fernridge Sclwol £l2, and tho Catholic School ilO. Last year the Mastortou School roceivcd something over 1100, tho Fernridge School £ls and. the Catholic School ±l2.

An old native chief at the Lower Tauoiu died tho -other day, and was buried yesterday. His nanio . was Abraham, and bo is said to havo been fully a hundred years of age. The criminal libel oaso Syms v. Haggen, will bo heard in the Suptemo Court onTuesday next, Joseph John Frceth is gazetted sheriff for the district of Taranaki, clerk of the District and fi. 11. Courts, and deputy-registrar of the Supreme Court Plymouth,

Tho Very Bev, Dr Watters, of St Patrick's College, Wellington, prouchcs in St Patrick's Church, Masterton, tomorrow (Sunday) evening. The Uroytown amateurs have decided toproduso the farcical comedy, "The Guvnor" in (he Masterton Theatro Royal on Wedneaday, September loth, in aidof the funds of tho Masterton Catholic School. Apart from the outeitainment, which has caused quite a stir iraheLower Valley, tho object of the visit will be sure to induce a large attendance of tho public.

, Solemn High Mass will be celebrated in St, Patrick's Church, Masterton, tomorrow (Sunday) momingat 11 o'clock when Muzait's High Mass No 7 will be 1 sung by the choir, assisted by the fallowinn ' acllfJ3 ap.d gentlemen Misses Mc> Lean, Cimjiio, and Gibbs, Mrs E. P. Biliiliy, and Messrs Jtowp, E.P. Sunny Bfay a'nd Ralph, The Map will be fol. lowed by a procession.

liemoniDer! Our big Sale of Surplus' Winter Drapery and Clothing, commencing on Friday, July Ist at Te Aro House, Remember! If you want to receive wonderful bargains' you should visitor send to the Big Sale at To Aro House, Wellington.'

liememberl There aro wonderful bargains in every department such a 9 wi!a make a trip to our itig Sale remunerative You will save far more than your expenses by visiting the Big Sale at Te Aro House Wellington Remember I Salo Price Lists will on ap» plication be forwarded post free. Sale lasts 15 days only, If a visit is impossible, send your orders, enclosing oash, so that you Way share in the good things going at the Bi(! Sale, Ten HoWiWellinstoii-AifYf

Public moetings under the auspices of tbo Masterton Guod Templars will be held in the Tompormico Hall on Monday and Tuesday next, Mr T. W. Glover, P.G.0.T., will on each evening deliver one of his popular and entertaining addresses, and tho proceedings will be enlivened with music and singing.

Tho bakors of Napier have lowered th° price of broad an halfpenny por loaf. The Canterbury Times of this week is a particularly interesting number, Bosidos jorty»eiglit pases of reading matter, it contains two illustrated supplements, one sporting and one political. As a woekly paper tho Times oannut now be beaten in Australasia.

Frank D. Lowe, alias 0. H. Campbell' was found guilf.y yestord*y in the Supreme Court on the charge of having obtained tho sum of £2 on the 7th of July last trorn Arthur Jjodder by moans of a valueless ohoque. The prisoner was to be brought up for sentence to-day. The Native woman from whom the ovarian tiimour was removed by Drs , Bey, Collins and Hoakiti? nn Tuesday last', died in tho Masterton Hospital on Thursday ni?ht.

It i 9 stated from Chrlstchurch that already the sparrows seem to be bont upon dire mischief. Where there wore last season hundreds there bids fair this season to bo thousands of birds. Upon several farms they have commonced their depredations by pulling up tho young com shoot and root,

A poll of Alfredton ratepayers interested iu raisins a loan of £2,500 for tha formation of Pori Road will be held on Saturday, September 10th. , The throe small boys arrested in likctihuna on a charge of stealing a bucket and eegs, wore owlored by Messrs H. Anlin and A- Anderson, J. P.'s, to be 11-.'gged in the presence of Constablo Ruche,

It is stated that informations have been laid by the police against certain parties supposed to be implicated in the robbory of goods from dwelliugs at Eketahuna.

Tho paragraph about the Chinese prc> serviug their dead in tea Bcema to have gut into tho Taranaki Herald, But Mr Chew Chon? has Bet that paper right in tho following Btyle:—l beg to emphatically deny this assertion, a3 it is without tho slightest foundation whatever. Tho only use tho Chinese have for tea is the same as other people, namely, for drinking purposes. As regards the toa itsolf China tea is undoubtedly tho best tea grown, andl challenge anyone m the trado to coik tradictmo when I say that genuino China tea is far more healthy and wholesome than the foroud growths of India af.d Ceylon. It is also ploasanter and softer to the taste,

Tho Masterton Mutual Improvement Society hold its usual weekly meeting in tile Weslcyati Schoolroom iast ovoning, at which there was a fair attendance cf members. Mr Rigg (Vicc-Prcsidont) occupied tho chair, and one new membor was elected, The " Journal " was read by Mr Johnson, in tho unavoidable absence of the Editor, and containod a leading article on ''Fishes," while correspondents treated upon "Sir Waltor Raleigh," " Capital and Labor, 1 ' and " Dogs," not to say anything of tho answers given in the question column, Altogether tho 11 Journal" was considered ouo of the boat preducod, and gavo food for interesting discussion on the part of the members, At tho Society's next meeting a mock Parliamentary election will take place, in which a lady (Miss Williams) will be a candidate in support of the present Government, while Mr Steel will stand in .tho Opposition interest, Tho Masterton Institute buildings narrowly escaped. being destroyed by firo last night. The librarian (Mrs Iteilly) was returning from tho Theatro about half-past ten when.she noticed smoke issuing frbm the outor walls of tho building, She at once gave tho alarm and a vigorous peal was sounded on the firebolls. In a few moments the Fire Brigades wore on the spot, and an investigation revealed the fact that the partition above the staircase leading to the reading room was on. fire, A holo several feet square had .been burnt in the wall, and the fire had a good hold, The application of a few buckets of water, ever, extinguished the flames, and the services of tho Brigades were not re* quired. How the lite originated is a mystery, There is a gas jet a few inches distant, but it is stationary, and could not have been the cause. It is supposed, therefore, that thegaspipo was defective. It is fortunate that the fire was discovered when it was, fur had it got a littlo firmer hold tho building must have been destroyed.

A flattering verdict.—Speaking of one of _ the most noted of colonial specialities, the press says"Sharland's Baking Powdor deserves inoro than a passing notice,for the "Moa" Brand Baking Powder enjoys a reputation seuond to none. From ono end of New Zealand to the other, large orders are received for this popular brand. Evon in tho moat out of the way districts tho careful house-wife, possessed with tho laudable ambition to make her bread and her Bcones better than her neighbours', buys Sharland's Baking Powder, and triumphs over the few of her less sensiblo sisters, who, from a mistaken sense of ecouomy, buy apparently cheaper brands. The recipe of a good Baking Powdor is anything but a aecret j but how very few manufacturers use, as Messrs Sharland & Co. do, the best only of materials, carefully tested before mixture and exactly proportioned," Readers, who require an economical, satisfactory and healthful Baking Powder, cannot do better than use the "Moa" brand.—Anvrj