THE TRAIL OF THE GAMBLER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 138, 12 June 1926, Page 18

THE TRAIL OF THE GAMBLER.

! (To the Editor.) Sir, —Whilst ihe heated controversy is taking place re immigration and unemployment, may I claim a space i_ your columns for another and more vital evil than either of the -above questions can ever lead to. Agreeing that unemployment is prevalent, and the season of the year not favourable towards helping this matter, yet on a day as June 3 inst., the King's birthday, we read the totalisator returns for the day's Tacing at Ellerslie were £1543" 10/ higher than the same day's racing for last year, and this amid a soaking downpour of rain. The grand total for the meeting was £242,322 10/. against £241,125, an increase of £1197 10/ on the whole meeting, and this with unemployment rife. The statement comes as a sort of mockery when one considers the question. The working-man public support the racing (or totalisator) and the same public, and the wives of the working men implore their tradesmeii to "stick to them,'' as their " husbands are out of work, all owing to the immigration." All sorts of imaginary excuses are used to cover -the costs of batting, in which women are equally at fault with men. The average New Zealander prides him or herself on being such, but do they ever realise how low is the moral 'standard they are creating for themselves, and to how much lower their children will sink, by the example they themselves are creating for them ? What is the average home life of the New Zealand worker between whiles of collecting a sum to spend at the races, and another sum to |iay the collector on the "order for clothing," and again another collector for the gramophone, or yet another for the piano, or for the furniture, whilst such mere trifles as food or provisions of any description that arc life-giving necessities, must be ignored altogether, when it ib a question of not getting them on credit?—l am, etc., r- . STRUfiGLER. •