SPORTING.

Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 10, 11 July 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

SPORTING.

tfThttfollowing very interesting article on V The Turf in Now Zealand ". is published in tho Australasian, of the 27th ult. Tho <^rord of warning which it contains on tho subject of tho indiscriminate uso of tho totalisator, is exactly in accord with the views more than once expressed by tho • Evening Post on the same subject : — "The arrival of the Hon. William Robinson's horses from New Zealand has directed the attention of Australian turf men to the southern colony. Previous to tho advent of the powerful string of the New Zealand Sportsman, otir kinsmen to the southward lias sent us Sir Modred, Welcome Jack, and Clarence, all great pei formers in their own country. Tho first-namod upheld the character he had gained in his native colony, and those who saw him win the Sydney Metropolitan, and defeat Malua at weight for age, must have recognised a great racehorse in tho son of Traducor. Welcome Jack, whoso credentials were quite equal to thoso of bis relative, has not, up to the present, realised the expectations of bis sanguine countrymen, but wo have no hesitation in asserting that the horse has not yet appeared in first-class condition, apd, therefore, ho has met our horsos at a disadvantage: Clarence has suffered from a similar causo, bub should either bo fortunate enough to meet Australian horses upon ocuial terms in the. matter of condition they ■will doubtlesfl prove that there has been no deterioration in the hoiflos bred in New Zealand, and, in fact, that they are superior f&cffhat they were in the days of Strop and Wildrake. • That they are not in the least behind us in this respect, Lurline, Calumny, Mata, Martini-Henry, and Sir Modred have proved^ and while wo <san compliment our neighbours upon tho quality of flfeo horses they have sent hero to maintain the honour of tho colony in which they woro brod, wo must also congratulate thorn upon the strides which tho turf has made during the past decade. Turf pessimists were not slow to assert that the departure of tho Hon. W. Robinson's string from New Zoakrid was & manifest sign of weakness ; that turi'i affairs were in such a deplorable state as to cause one of the leading sportsmen of' the' colony to seek fresh fields and pastures 'new. The cloud, not bigger than a man's 'hand, hod appeared in the * shape of the tbtalisator, and its introduotion had so orippled the 'members of the ring that Owners' could not back their horses to' any* extent, therefore they had determined to shako the diujt of New Zealand from their feet, and go where the 'infernal machine* was not in existence. Whatever effect- the' estab Jshment of the totalisator may • have - had upon Messrs. Pilbrow and RobinSoD, this line of argument cannot for an instant hold water when applied generally* to the- turf' of New Zealand. Its introduction may have affected tho transactions of the momberfl'of the ring, many of whom' have' since taken up their abode in Australia, which they consider the bookmakers' Ptfradhe, but what do we find when wo enquire into the affairs of the leading race clubs of New Zealand? Why, that it has enabled them not only to increase their Btakes from 30 to 300 per cent., but that it 'has rescued 1 - many a struggling club from' complete annihilation, and lias been tho means of placing all of the loading clubs in a solvent position. No ""-- doubt there arc racing men who regard tho totalisator as an obnoxious innovation, because it has partially deprived them of the chance of backing thoir hordes to a great extent with the" membore of the ring ; but they are the men who regard the noble animal, the thoroughbred horse, merely as an ■ instrument of' gaming. -In these degenerate' days probably this description of racing man is in' the majority, but if he were on the side of a large majority, who shall say that the turf would not be in a purer and sounder state P We are no advocates for the total extinction ot the ring, which seems to us to be increasing in a most alarming manner, and oventuauy will become a hydra-headed monster threatening destruction to everything it comes in contact with ; • but' the totalisator keeps it within reasonable limits, and at the same time every farthing derived from it is returned to the public, for though a olub exacts a percentage, the money so derived goes tack to the' public in the shape of stakes and expenditure to pay mechanics for building new stands, &o. At the same time, wo are not believers in an indiscriminate uso of the instrument, and this is the rook upon which the ' New Zeolanders will wreck' themselves if they do not take steps to prevent a too frequent use of the totalisator by those who improvise race meetings merely to make money by its instrumentality.' It was conduct of this kind which caused the people of South Australia to ory out for a repeal of the Tdtalisator Act, which' we hope to see re-introduced- in a * idified form. We would, then, in the of thejurf, urge upon the leading ciuoa of New Zealand to revise their rules of racing, andwhile'a'oonference ia thus engaged to toko some steps to prevent an injudicious 'Use of-* the totalisator. The abolition 'of 1 tho instrument means the extinotion"of manyof theracing dubs of Now Zealand, ' arid 'it "is 'only by keeping it within proper bounds' that they can hope for a continuance of the support of the authorities. Lot this be • done, and we havo no foar for tho future of the Turf in New Zealand." ' ' < ' ■ ' CURING THE MINISTER'S . DYSPEPSIA. " I am greatly troubled with dyspepsia," suid- the mrinistei' to one of his flock, a dvaggisfcion. West Madi-Bon-street. " " Are, yog % , Well, I have a preparation {hat will cure it,"' responded the druggist: <" I'll' fetch you a' bottle •"" to-night as Ig6 home. ' I have none ready now. , I'll guarantee it to cure you in less than a .week. I oured myself with it, and now occasionally •when I don't' feel just right I take, a dose of it, for.it is a splendid tonic" And he launched," warmly iuto the praises and merits of his " Great Curative." ' , ' ! ' That afternoon the druggist went to work and put up a bottle of the Great' Curative 'for the minister. He also filled a similar bottle full of, the test Bourbon whisky to take home for his own use. When he got ready to go home he 1 wrapped the bottles up and placed .' %hepf in , his overcoat pocket ; .one- on i eaoh , side. He Btopped at the minister's' and left him one of the' 'bottles 1 .' 1 ' When he got home he,' placed ihe other bottle on the mantle, and paid no more, attention .to it until a couple of evenings later, when Bhortweight, the grocer, dropped in to make "a friendly call '• I have some of the best Bourbon whisky in Chicago," said the druggist. " Would you like to try a little 1" Sh'ortweigufc was willing. So he took down the bottle, removed the wrapper^ and filled a glafes for the grocer, whd took it, and, with v Here's luck, to you j" raised tho glass tc his lips and took a good, long drink. When he paused for breath a horrible expression crept over his usually placid face, while a good round oath fell from his generally pious lips. " What did you put in that liquor, Alhum?" ho asked. "I bet you made a mistake and ,gavo mo poison. You cussed druggists are all the while making mistakes." Ho picked up the bottle and looked at it. " Hello," he said, "G-r-e-a-t, great, c-u-r-a-t-i-v-e, great curative. Why, this is some of your patent medicine; do you know, Alhum,j I'm not fond of such practical jokes and——" " Why, gracious, Colonel," said the astonished druggist, "if I haven't made a mistake given Elder Blowhard that bottle of whisky. I dare not go to bis church again, and I'm sure to " lose till of. our members' custom. What on earth am Itodo ]" and the conductor of blue pills and soothing syrilps groaned in mental agony. ' The next morning when he went down to the store he walked three blocks out of his way in order to avoid passing tho minister's house; but what was his horror, when ha got to

the store to sco tho " gootl man " inside. ' ' , ' t - " Good morning, Alhutn," said the Elder, with a pleasant smile " G-g-ood m-m-orning,' sir," stammered Alhum, and he felt sinking through the floor. " Let ns Btep beiside the soda fountain a minute," said the Elder. " I wish to speak to you." " Oh, Lord, it's coming now'" sighed the druggist, as he complied. 'J he minister slyly pulled a bottle out from under his coat tail. " Just fill me that up with the same stuff," he said, as he handed it to the druggist, " for it's a prime article, sir, a prime article."