SADDENING REFLECTION

Northern Advocate, 14 August 1931, Page 5

SADDENING REFLECTION

“PROM FARMING TO RACING.”

(From Our Parliamentary Special.) WELLINGTON, This Day.

The House of Representatives was reminded by Mr Taite Te Tomo (Reform', Western Maori) last night that in a former speech he had mentioned how the Ratana Maoris and the West Coast of the North Island had taken up wheat-growing, but he said that a few days ago he had passed -the Ratana settlement and instead of wheat fields he saw a racecourse, ‘ ‘and I was sad, because racing is in a fair way of getting the people down.” (Laughter). He assured his European colleagues that he knew what he was talking about, for he had been interested in racing since the early eighties, and was well known to prominent owners. As final evidence of his capacity to speak with authority, Mr Te Tomo informed an amused audience: “Members may think I know little about racing, but my brother and I lost through racing £BOOO that we received from the Well-ington-Manawatu railways. That is the reason why I felt sorry when I saw there was not wheat, but a racecourse. ’'