THE BETTING OWNER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 169, 17 July 1914, Page 4

THE BETTING OWNER.

MUST STICK TO THE TOTE. X"EW RU"LE OF (RtAOEs*G. PPlßirr OF TTFF. _A"VY. (By Telegraph.—Press Associaltion.j ( \YELLLXiGTOiN, Thursday. One of the most important decisions that have ever been arrived at by Xew Zealand Racing Conference* was reached , to-day, when it adopted • role preventing , owners betting with 'bookimakere. , Sir George Clifford moved that the ; following new rule toe added to Part , XVI.:— "By the entering of a horse, , every person having, or subsequently , acquiring. an interest in such horse. shall be deemed thereby to undertake, neither indirectly nor indirectly, to make any wager with a bookmaker in connection with such , horse or any other horee in the race in ; which such horee is so entered.' Sir George said that this -was toy far the most important resolution that had been submitted, ft was most desirable that they should do everything to show that they complied with the law in spirit and in act. If among themselves they tolerated betting with 'bookmakers, and permitted those subject to the control of the conference to do it. there might ibe very fair room for complaint that the conference was not acting as it should do in the -direction of assisting the Government to suppress the evils which the Government thought it was -most desiraibie they should legislate against. They all knew it was a most serious obstacle to the purity of the turf when jockeys an I trainers, ami other people connected with the turf were limble to he influenced by market considerations, and hv those outside the scope of ordinary turf operations, who bad no legitimate interest in wihnt was froing on. TTc "knew that the nhiection would nrobiblv be raised that they could not control the general pviblie and. therefore, there was no reason why they should control owners, wbo were providing the sport. The general public were. ron-tro-Tod aud limited in operation ■by Act of Parliament, which made certain restrictions. AX ADVANTAGE TO OWNERS. The conference should go further and show that it was determined, as £a.r as possible, to obey the Spirit of the Act. and deal with those whom they controlled. Tt would 'be of advantage to owners themselves. Owners should set an example to refrain from speculations outside the totalieator. which gave the best —and certainly the most circumscribed —means of investment, and the .public would know that owners had no ulterior motives and no Teason other than running straight on the day of the race. iMr. E. TV. .Alison opposed the motion. He fa-id he did not think they could prevent betting with boobmaiicere. The conference would find that owners would hot and set the rule at -defiance; therefore, it would become worthless. M the Act would not prevent betting with'bookmakers, then a rule of racing would not do it. and they did not want to encourage owners to be deceptive. Sir George McLean. Messrs. Vavasour. Samuel, and Hugo Friedlawler supported the motion. Mr. Buckley thoujrht the motion was going too far. and would only lead to triokcrv aud deception. PtTRIXG DOrVVCS" ABUSE?. In reply, Sir George Clifford said that if the conference did not carry the motion, the delegates would be guilty of the greatest hypocrisy, and a great deal of their expressed desire for purifying the turf would 'be more or less a veneer and a sham. It was absolutely necessary they should do something to convince the peopl} that they, the guardians df racing and the representatives of the clubs, were rantanimous to put down abuses. Of all abuses he knew of, betting t>y owners, trainers, and jockeys was the greatest and imosfc dangerous. They bad been warned hy the Government not to allow it, and they looked to the conference for assistance. It iwas said the conference could not catch the owners. EPFEaHIViH R__sa"BAJNT. He hoped there would he no necessity, for if they passed the resolution they would be imposing a moral obligation on I owners, and among honourable men that would be far more serious than being caught like schoolboys. That moral obligation would restrain them and | would have an effect on the public generj ally. The public would follow the exI ample Of thp owners, and it would he a help to get rid of the parasites who were in their midst. He hoped that the motion would be carried, and prominent eluibs would not vote in a way that would fee so deleterious to the interests of racing. The motion was carried hy 2ft to 4. It was afterwards decided that it he an instruction to licensing bodies to require from all licensed trainers and jockeys an undertaking neither directly nor indirectly to -make any wager with a ibookmalcer w-hile so licensed.