A SPORTSMAN ON WOWSERS.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 27, 17 September 1920, Page 7

A SPORTSMAN ON WOWSERS.

President W. T. Hazlett delivered another of his annual lectures on the-Wowser last Friday night-, and our iocal contemporaries gave him nearly as much spaco next day as thev would a Premier's policy speech. No one could ever even think Mr Hazlett a wowser, but surely, he made too much of his objections to them to be in good taste ? Even a wowser has a right to live, and if they don't sea eye to eye

with the head of the local Joc.key Club on matters jpertaining to sport and hquos, j his abuse is certainly not likely to convert j them. Everybody in Southland, wowser • and anti-wowser, knows how Alr Hazlett has improved the tono of the sport in the district, and the standing of his own Club j in particular, and sportsmen throughout j Otago are proud of his efforts, But, Mr j Hazlett should remember that all racing men and patrons of Ihe totalisator ' o 1 not blind opponenls of the prohibitioR | movement. If Ihe investments on that | machine on the Invercargill course could ! be analysed it would probably be found that the totalisator (or wowserS, in Mr Hazlett's opinion) have contributed very considerably to the coffers of the local club. No doubt, quite a numher of them also are members. Surely the president was speaking a littles out of his tuni when he castigated them as he did last Friday j evening. Wo do not propose to know all ; about the management of a jockey club, but we, and most sportsmen, do know that in the past licensed booths on our race-courses have not been in the best interests of the sport. The Riverton, Winton and Wairio Clubs all used to have licensed booths, and the managements of these clubs found it better to aoolish th.e licensed sale of liquor on tneir couises. Mr Hazlett's connection with the Trade may have been the cause of his advocacy for a renewal of the old order of things on the local course, but fortunately the course is situated within a dry area. Now-a-days ladies form a very large proportion of the attendances at our racecourses, and Racing Clubs should be very careful in their management not to do anything which will not make their courses and sport attractive to our women t'olk. Mr Hazlett, as one of Soutliland's rcpresentatives of tha New Zealand Racing