HORSE-RACING

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1926, Page 6

HORSE-RACING

" IS OUR NATIONAL RELIGION "

(By Telegraph.) (Special to the "Evenlni Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day.

"Horse.racing is our national religion and the 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 yesterday. Ho made the observation iv replying to Mr. It. A. Singer, who had made a plea for leniency on behalf of Archie Dowell, charged with trespassing oil the racecourse, lie being a convicted person. Mr. Singer had stated that Dowell, a' man of 22, had been on the course only very momentarily, since he had a restless horse outside. "It ie ono of the anomalies of ouv Legislature that a man. is fined £1 for stealing £10, and £10 lor going on a racecourse," said Mr, Singer. "And for breaking a church window hs may get six months for sacrilege," retorted the Magistrate. "I suppose none of this money taken in fines goes to the Racing Con- [ ference," chuckled Mr. Singer. "Our very good Government gets all that," interjected Chief Detective Cummings. The pleasantries over, Dowell was fined £10 on one charge and convicted and discharged on the second.

OTHEB OASES.

"This man has a terribly bad criminal history. He goes to the racecourse and hangs about the tote pay-out windows demanding shillings and halfcrowns." That was Chief Detective Cummings'a description of Claud Maitin, a man excluded by regulations who had been found on a racecourse by Petective Moon. He Was fined £20, in default one month iii gaol. William John Marriott, another man with convictions, fined £20 for being on the Ellerslie Bacecourse.

ijarold B. Kerr, who had been convicted before, was also fined £20 for going to Alexandra Park.

On behalf of Ernest Edward M'Dowell, Mr. Sullivan pleaded that his client went to the 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 time. It was true, of course, that he had been fined previously for trespassing. Chief Detective Cummingi produced a list of convictions going back to 1911. A fine of £20 was imposed, the penalty for default being fixed at one month's imprisonment. William Wilson, described by Mr. Denniston as an old jockey, was fined £5 for trespassing. Chief Detective Cummings said the man had served a month for a breach of probation; and, being of the vagrant type, should not be given more than a fortnight in which to pay. Frederic Waterstrand, who trespassed on thu Takapuna Baceeourse, was lined £5, with costs 11s.

Thomas M'Namara was fined £3,

FBOM AUSTBALIA,

Described by the chief detective as a pvofessional pickpocket, from Australia, Phillip Emsworth Smith (29) was charged with being unlawfully on the Takapuna Eacecourse. Mr. Cummings referred to several cases in which Smith had figured in Australia, receiving from one to six months' imprisonment for picking pockets. He had also been convicted for breaking and entering and for vagrancy. Smith, who was a prohibited immigrant, had ijever 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 Cumnrings: "It does, ait}' Apart from that, he is restricted, from going on to racecourses by reason of the Aliens Restriction Act,"

Smith was remanded for sentence till 22nd January.