RACING DAYS

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 82, 5 October 1915, Page 3

RACING DAYS

"WOWSERS " OR " SPORTS" ? DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT SOME HEATED TALK. Discussion was aroused in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon when "the Hon. G. W. Russell moved that two clauses " added to the Gaming Amendment Bill added in the Legislative Council be agreed to. One of the clauses provided that if any racing club by reason of the use or occupation of its lands or buildings for military purposes had a less number of days' -racing than those assigned to it, it should be granted extra days to make up the deficiency either in the following or subsequent years. The clause specifically stated that the aggregate days of racing were not to exceed 250 — the total number for which tcbalisator permits were permitted. The second clause was : "For the purpose of computing the periods referred to in sub-section 4of section 5 of the Gaming Amendment Act, 1910, Sunday shall not in any case be taken into account, and Monday shall, in every case be deemed to be consecutive to Sunday." The Minister pointed out that the Wellington Racing Club had had its racing days interfered with by the fact that its grounds had been taken for the purpose of accommodating soldiers during the outbreak of sickness at Trentham military training camp. The club had already lost a meeting, and it was possible that it would lose more days. The loss had had a serious effect upon the finance of the club. The amendment to the Bill provided for the granting of extra days, which was merely a matter of justice. The club was merely to get back what it had lost through surrendering its grounds. Mr. Hornsby: A patriotic quid pro quo! Mr. Russell : I think the hon. gentleman's reflection is not worthy of this House, and not worthy of the hon./gentleman. (Hear, hear.) The Minister also explained that the Bill remedied the difficulty as to Sunday being counted as a legal day in respect of the granting of permits for race meet, ings. He assured the House that there was no idea of extending raffles and lotteries beyond the period of the war.. He also mentioned that it had been intended to move the amendment when the Bill was before the House in Committee, but in the hurry of the occasion this was not done. MR. ISITTS VIEWS. Mr. L. M. Isitt hoped the Government would have the sense to turn down the proposals. The Australian States had cut down racing, and at Home the racing was confined to Newmarket. The Hon. Mr. Russell rose to a point of order. The discussion at the present time should be confined strictly to the amendments made in another place. Mr. Speaker ruled that the member must confine his remarks to the amendments. ' j Mr. Isitt held that he was confining his remarks to the amendments, and was not going outside Mr. Speaker's ruling. At the present time there was a disposition in every other part of the Empire to diminish and not increase racing. _ They had cause to recognise the patriotic feeling on the part of many of the members of the Racing Club iu^ meeting the requirements of the hour by giving the club's buildings for the use of sick soldiers, but it was a regrettable fact that the House should now be told that it was' its duty to grant extra days. The amendment would have the effect of making it possible to concentrate these extra days, and this would be very deplorable. He also objected to the second clause, which, he contended, would mean additional 1 facilities that the club did not previously have. It would enable the club to rook in the working man on Saturdays. NOT A DOG-IN-THE-MANGER CROWD. Mr. G. Witty expressed regret that the amendments were not moved in the House, so that they could have' had a free discussion on them. But he thought the Minister was perfectly right in bringing in the amendments, thus giving the club (which had done the best it could for the soldiers) the number of days' racing it was entitled to. "If they had been a dog-in-the-manger crowd," added Mr. Witty, "they could have said, 'You can't have our racecourse ; we'll hold our races.' " There was to be no increase in the number of permits, and the Bill was to be repealed at- the end of the war. The last clause was not to rook in the working man j it might be in the interests of the horses. Horse racing, to some men, was like a red rag to a bull. ' Who was it that gave the money towards wounded soldiers? Who were the men who put their hands in their pockets? Mr. Payne : And kept them there ! Mr. Witty added that the Minister was only doing justice to the club in bringing in the amendments. AN IRATE MEMBER. "The hon. member for Christchurch ( North has got what i« called a rat," declared Mr. ,Buick, who came to hift feet immediately. Mr. Lritfc sat down. (Laughter.) The Speaker : The hon. member must not Mr. Buick : I did not say he had a rat, but what is called a rat ! (Loud laughter.) The Speaker : The hon. member Mr. Buick : Well, he has got a, kink, and he sees no good in racing. (Laughter.) When I saw those poor, wounded men lying in, the' buildingsi of the club, and when I A member : Wounded men ? Mr. Buick (heatedly) : Well, sick ' 111 ! Lying ill unto death ! I saw them in th© buildings of the club. I also saw the boys, like drowning jrate, being taken up to Rangiotu and put into the racing club's building at Palmerston, and I say I was proud I was a racing men, aad not a, wowser. (Loud laughter.) What have those men done for the sick and wounded ? (pointing in the direction of Mr. Isitt). Have they given of their profits, or anything else? The racing clubs have given nearly all their profits this year to the funds for the sick and wounded men. Have those men done anything ? No ! And yet they cry, " Don't have anything to- do with gambling !"_ Mr. Buick dedared that Mr. Isitt himself had gambled in prohibition for years. (Loud laughter.) He (Mr. Buick) was proud, he said, he was a racing man, and not a wowser. (Renewed laughter.) Mr. Hornsby said Ihe proposal, when it came before the ' Legislative Council was to give the clrfb a permanent day. He deprecated very much what had been said in regard to xacing. Because some people deprecated' an increase in racing days, was that to say they were opposed to racing?. H© was not opposed to the sport. But he objected to the clause because it proposed an increase. Because the racing club gave their loose-boxes and other parts of tlieir buildings to half-drowned sick men — the buildings, indeed, were commandeered by Dr. Valintine mi the first place^ — was this to be an excuse for the club asking for a quid-, pro chao? Was that sport? Mr. Hornsby frbceeded to refer to the dis pleasure wiere would be in the country at what the House was doing. The member for North had been

twitted by Mr. Buick with having done | nothing, but ha had given two of hi* sons, and that w\is more than the racing clubs would give in a thousand years. Mr. Buick : Aven't the racing men doing it? IS CHU.UCH IN? Mr. Hornsby : Yasv, and honour, be it said, to those who ha we given their sons. But there are some uxeXi, who are termed wowsers, who have g\\*en their best for the country. Shame up*n those who say these men (pointing tyo< Mr. Isitt and others) U&ve done nothvtog for patriotic purposes. Mr. Nosworthy : Is church in ? (Laughter.) Mr. Hornsby : Shame H'pon. that man for interjecting that woi\d., for he is worse. (Laughter.) v Mr. Payne : Mr. Speaker* Sir ! Now we will take up the collection ! (Long and continued laughter.) Mr. Hornsby : Loud laughter proclaims the empty mind! (Renewed •lau'ighter.) Mr. Payne said they had heard a very lugubrious and sad recital by itlie hon. member for Wairarapa. (Laughtvt-) Mr. Payne went on to enlarge upi>n the point that people could not be maile good by legislation. He supported tb\e v proposal to make good the day to the club. UNBRIDLED LIBERTY. Mr. H. G. Ell defended Mr. Isitt \from the attacks of Mr. Buick, and he aviVed Mr. Payne if he would allow unbridted liberty and license in regard to raciv.?He added that the Wellington Golf Chi'b and several Christchurch racing institutions had made sacrifices, but they did' not ask for quid pro quos. The RacingClub had endeavoured to make a permanent racing day out of the business, and , he did not think it was to their credit. He deprecated the use of the word " wowser " every time personal convictions came into conflict in^ the House. Dr. Thacker thought that as the new finance proposals imposed a tax upon racing the rights of racing should be recognised. THE MINISTER'S REPLY. The Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward said that as one who was in full accord with the provisions, of the Bill, he desired to make it perfectly clear that what the Government proposed to do was to restore the organisation to the exact position it was lin before its rights were taken away. This 'was not the time to discuss whether racing was good or bad ; the matter was the return of a day to the Racing Club for one it had lost. Mr. Malcolm: I understand the buildings were refused, and had to be commandeered. The Premier : That is not so ! Sir Joseph Ward added that it was right to give hack what had been taken away. That «ras the principle involved. A v ■« ; -w f called for by Mr. Hornsby, «*ui ' vote resulted 'in the adoption of th» -muse by 52 votes to 7.