RACING AND WAR.

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 12, 13 July 1918, Page 4

RACING AND WAR.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, —Sir George Clifford at. the Racing Conference remarks : "Every Briton worthy of the name has striven to-bear life individual part in the universal resistance, and all sections have vied with oach other in collective endeavours. The exceptions are branded with an.indelible shame. In this common fVort" the vacing organisation of the Dominion has borne ita conspicuous share." These are brave words. Elsewhere, he complains of unsympathising persons, observing truly that "argument and proof are equally ineffective with the invincibly ignorant." Such persons in speaking of racing clubs might possibly reply that they were often invincibly selfish and greedy. But remarks of this kind are neither argument nor proof. Sir George Clifford's figures do r.ot go far to lighten the darkness of intellect which he describes. Everyone pays taxes. There is no particular virtue in. this; the very poorest shareholder ■with the barest living income has to. pay 7s 6d in the £ on his little dividend drawn from a large joint stock company. It is no particular merit that all the racing clubs in the Dominion should have invested in the aggregate £50,000 m the War Loans which are sound .securities. Why not give the "invinoibly ignorant" somes simple example which they might be iiblo to appreciate? Tako One of the lending find roost, successful racing orKiinisationa, say, for, example, the Wellington Boeing Club, and tell these invincibles by what amount this organisation has increased its accumulation* of

I funds during the past four years, and I tell them how much its cash contribui tions have been during the same period ! to all the great war funds for the beneI fit of soldiers wounded, sick, and suffering, which have been privately subscribed by the public in tha Dominion ! Tljis, if it does not convince the mcst ignorant, and sceptical, will at any rate appoal to the intelligent, and enable them to prove that racing clubs cannot be included under the group of those exceptions which Sir George Clifford properly describes as "branded with an indelible shame." One solid fact '.ike this will doubtless go far to dispel the hostility of which Sir George complains on the part of' many who, while they may not ( share in this beneficent sport, still have no personal .objection to races under normal conditions.—l. am, etc., IGNORAMUS. 11th July.