BAD FOR SPORT.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18591, 16 January 1926, Page 8

BAD FOR SPORT.

w UNDESIRABLES AT RACES. AUCKLAND POLICE CASES. (srEcr.ir, to "the tkess.") AUCKLAND, January 15. "Horso racing is our national religion, and racecourses are our national

shrines, so that we must keep them as free as possible from bad characters," said Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., dryly in the Police Court to-day. He made the observation in replying to Mr It. A. Singer, who had made a plea for leniency on behalf of Archie Dowell, charged with trespassing on a racecourse, he being a convicted person. Mr Singer had stated that Dowell, a man of 22, had been on the course "only very momentarily," since ho had a restless horse outside. "It is one of the anomalies of our legislation that a man is fined £1 for stealing £lO, and £lO for going on a racecourse," said Mr Singer. "And lor breaking a church window he may get six months for sacrilege," retorted the Magistrate. "I suppose none of this money taken

in lines goes to the Racing Conference,'' chuckled Mr Singer. "Our very good Government gets all that," interjected Chief-Detective Cu minings. The pleasantries over, Dowell was fined £lO on one charge, and convicted and discharged on the .second. "This man has a terribly bad criminal history. He goes to a racecourso and hangs about the totalisator pay-out windows demanding shillings and halfcrowns," said Chief-Detective Cumdescribing Claud Martin, a man excluded by the regulations who had been found on a racecourse by Detective Moon. He was fined £2O, in default one month. William John Marriott, another man with convictions, was .fined £2O for being on Ellerslie Racecourse. Harold R. Kerr, who had been convicted before, was also fined £2O for going on Alexandra Park. On behalf of Ernest Edward McDowell Mr Sullivan pleaded that his client went to a racecourse to collect a dividend from a friend to whom he had handed 5s to put on a horse. He did not go out till after 3 p.m., and on; the following day he was there for the same purpose for a very short; while. Tt was true of course that he had been fined previously for trespassing.

Little Lists. Chief-Detective Cummings produced a list of convictions going back to 1911. A fine of £2O was imposed, the default being fixed a,t one montn. William Wilson, described by Mr Deimiston as an old jockey, was fined £5 for trespassing. Chief-Detective Cummings said the man had served a month for breach of probation, and being of a vagrant typo he should not be given more than a fortnight in which to pay. Frederic Watersirand, who trespassed ou Takapuna Racecourse, was .fined £o with, costs lis. Thomas McNamara was fined £2. Described by the Chief-Detectivo ar> a professional pickpocket from Australia, Phillip Emsworth Smith, aged 29, was charged with being unlawfully on Takapuna _ Racecourse. Chief-Detective Cuminings referred to several cases in which Smith had figured in Australia., receiving from one to six montns for picking pockets. He had also been convictod for breaking and entering, and for vagrancy. Smith, who was a prohibited immigrant, had never been convicted in New Zealand. Mr Poynton: I don't know whether a theft in Australia excludes him from a racecourse in New Zealand. Chief-Detective Cummings : It does, sir. Apart from that ho is restricted from going on to racecourses by reason of the Aliens Restriction Act. Smith was remanded for sentence till January 22nd.