SPORTING.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 August 1920, Page 2

SPORTING.

tetnis.

THIRD DAY'S RAGING-. AUTHOR DILLON LANDS, THE CUP (Per Preaa Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The uurd.day of Uie New Zealand jUeno|)Hifcau Trotting Club’s meeting, postponed liom Fiiuay, is being Hold to-day in line weatner. The track is slow. Following are the lesuits ; MIDWINTER HANDICAP (Saddle), 01 500 sovs. ; far unlicppied irliters only; 4.2 class j 1 mile and 5 furlongs. — Marry Din gen (Ssecs) ... ... 1 Succory (Bates) ... ... 2 Patard (/secs) ... 3 Also started —Mushroom scr., Mar am. 4 Girl osecs., iaikneid Ssecs., lien Fell £sec., Chub 5 .em., To Kuiti SsecS, Sally Dillon Ssecs, Marvolo Vsecs., Lady Lin wood Ssecs and Moving Incline Ssocs. Wen bv six lengths. Time 4.4. LIGHTNING HANDICAP (in'saddle), of 350 sovs. ; 2.16 class ; 1 mileRorks’s Drift (3secs) ... ••• 1 Joyful (4sccs) ... ••• 2 Matty’s Boy (Ssecs) • ••• 3; Also started—Lord Min to scr., Iluon Patch Isec., Mintaon Ssocs., Strategy Ssecs., Nancy Stair Ssecs., Retreat 3 secs., Xavier Ssecs., Ariadne Ssecs., Our Chum Ssecs., Astir.i) osecs., Frank Tracey Ssecs., Tamarisk Ssecs., Bundong 4secs. and Trooper Dillon 4secs. Won by two lengths. Time 2.18 15. NATIONAL CUP HANDICAP of 1000 sovs. ; in harness ; 4.34 class 2 miles. — AUTHOR DILLON (scr.) ... 1 Ed I LIUS (Ssecs) ... ... 2

3 HERWOOD (6secs) 5 Also started —Trix Pointer 4soc:-., General Link Ssecs., Albert Cling 7 sees., Moneymaker Ssees (coupled with Emilias), and Rangitata Lass lOsecs. Won by a neck. Time 4.37 4-5. FEDERAL HANDICAP (harness), of 390 sovs. ; 5.48 class ; 1 mile And 5 furlongs., — Legacy (2secs) ... ... ... 1 All Bell (Ispc) 2 The Whip (3secs) 5 A iso started —Sympathy scr., Dillon Maid 3secs., Coldstream 3secs., Rannti till 3s.ecs., Greta 3sccs., Marie Lloyd 4secs., Peter Mac 4secs. and Pleasant Mount 4secs. Won by three lengths. Time 3.54 2-5. f HEATHCOTE HANDICAP (in harness), of 403 sovs. ; lor three an 1 four-year-olds ; 11 miles. — Onyx (Osecs) ... ... ... 1 Peter King (7secs) 2 Also started —Doraidina scr., Saint’s Roll 2secs., Cainmie ‘/sees., Copa be Oro Junior osecs., Dandy Rose Ssees., Laganwood Osecs. and Charms Osecs.

'BETTING SHOPS 8N SYDNEY

HOW SYSTEM IS WORKED. SYDNEY, -August 4. *An enormous amount of gambling goes on sub rasa in Sydney. .Bats made outside a racecourse in this State are illegal, but there is probably more money passing in beers made off the racecourses than on. The betting-shop evil has grown until to-day it represents practically an open defiance of the liw, and provides the police with their ■biggest, problem and reproach. Betting shops plied their business openly in Sydney, and did a roaring business, until. 1035, when legislation closed the shops and drove the.punters to the racecourses. But the system did not work. There was a demand lor betting accommodation by thousands who could not get to the racecourses, and so the agent system came, gradually into operation. There is a central office, with telephones, to- which only members of the “staff” have admission, There is a largo staff of agents, who have regular boats in the citw and suburbs. They are at certain placet* at certain times, and ail the wise people desirous of betting meet them at the nearest point on the beat. A- lew voids are spoken, money passes quickly and “slithily.” and tue agent w.i iks on. The bet is booked. The money thus collected is taken to the central office, the bet is recorded, and the agent draws his commission, generally 2s 6d in the £, on the total amount brought in. These bets are all it “starting price,” and the winners receive their money from the agent on his next visit. The starting price is the price stated in the sporting columns of the “Sydney Morning Herald”--apropos of which some strange stories might bo told of attempts to “rig” the old paper’s reports. This'agent system has developed in an extraordinary manner. Every coiner of Sydney now appears to be canvassed by an army cf very shrewd and not very desirable “non-producers.” Their beat now extend to factories and offices, and large sums, got together by both men and women, await them on the days of their regular call. They also act as agent collectors for Tattersail’s sweeps. Both the betting shops and the sweeps are definitely illegal but they seem to be tolerated all round. The Post Office provides the shop wish, tel phenes, and the sweep people with poM.al services—and. neither could exist without these facilities.

The police declare that sub vnsa bolting is carried out in a manner Amt makes it impossible of detection. But the evil has gnnvn to that extent no vr . that it moms likely that the police will be fored to test their own theory in operations on a big scale against rhe shops.