Evening Post

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1942, Page 4

Evening Post

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1942,

STILL HESITATING

The marked hesitant note in Mr. Parry's statement regarding racing curtailment will do nothing to persuade the public that the war calls for their greatest effort and utmost sacrifice. All that is proposed Is to try and make up the number of abandoned days to 60 for racing clubs and 20 for trotting, a reduction of one-quarter in the whole season. .This apparently includes the days lost through limitation of racing to Saturdays and holidays. , But even this reduction is not yet definite. It is under discussion between the Minister and the Racing and Trotting Conferences. By contrast, we may refer to the decision of the South Australian Government that racing and betting are to cease throughout the State after next Saturday. The long statement made by the Minister yesterday would be

humorous if it were not exasperating, j In July, 1940, the Minister told the Racing Conference that he felt it would be inadvisable to cut off racing abruptly. Almost eighteen months afterwards. the number of days racing and trotting lost was 12 for a full year! Nothing very abrupt in that. ; At the same time (July, 1940) the Minister said that in the event of conditions becoming such that the sport would interfere with the war effort, he felt certain the racing people would be only too ready to call a halt. Well, how much worse is it expected that the war position must become before a halt should be called? Are we to wait until there" is actual war on our shores? In December, when Japan had entered the war, it was decided that racing and trotting meetings should be confined to Saturdays and public holidays. The Minister said also that "while it was not considered there was any need for a complete recreation black-out ... those interested would have to be prepared for a drastic curtailment of sport." Eyen to mention a "complete recreation black-out" in this connection is funny. Totalisator investments in 1941 established a record of £8,524,000—m0re bonfire than black-out. And the "drastic curtailment" threatened just makes up the lost midweek days to one-quarter of the whole programme —at least, it is hoped it will. The responsibility fdr this weak lead rests mainly upon the Government, though the Racing and Trotting Cpnferences cannot escape blame, especially after the president of the Racing Conference called strongly for a lead. Surely the Government cannot be blind to the harm coming from its hesitancy. There is the great waste of time, money, and transport—£B,s24,ooo in totalisator investments when the Government is urging saving and lending for war purposes, time lost from war work and other production, to which the Farmers' Union &day calls attention, a heavy burden in train-running when appeals are made for exemption of railwaymen so that essential transport can be maintained, and, until recently, heavy consumption of petrol. But worse than this is the mqral effect in this time of crisis. People are being urged to do their utmost, to work their hardest, to sacrifice and save and serve. They are told, and rightly so, that they must do this, and that all kinds .of surrender of rights and interference in industry are necessary because war has nqver been nearer to us, the outlook never more menacing. But how can they be convinced of this when the consideration for what is wholly a costly luxury and recreation is so tender,' when there is such care not to "cut off racing abruptly," that practically nothing was done till the third year of war, and even now the "drastic curtailment" is limited to a possible twentyfive per cent.!