EVILS OF RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17330, 29 November 1919, Page 11

EVILS OF RACING.

MR. ISITT ON BOOKMAKERS. PERSONAL EXPLANATION. " A NEST OF BLACKGUARDS." [BY TELEGRAPH OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CHRISTCHUECH. * Friday. , " I am called a wowser and I don't believe in hiding my light under a bushel," stated Mr. L. M. Isitt, M.P., in the course of his political address last evening. " I got into very great trouble for what 1 said about racing the other day," Mr. Isitt continued. " 1 am not a perfect man, and I frankly admit that I used one expression and one phrase that 1 should have put much less objectionably and with greater effect. There are some who imagine that a man when speaking among a hail of interjections should frame his sentences as if he were writing a letter. When I spoke I was having a warm time, and I said that the modern racecourse was a nest of blackguards. I recognise that many men who go to races are infinitely better than I am, but I do believe that the racecourse is the scene of a great deal of human degeneration and evil.

" But I am not mad enough to think that I am going to put an end to races. There are those who enjoy racing, and who say it does not do any harm. But I ask you as sensible people of this Dominion, with a rocky road to travel and a stile to get over, can we afford to put half-a-million through the totaJisator in a fortnight ? Can we afford to put £6,000,000 through in a year? A Voice : No.

" Speak to your little grocer or butcher," continued Mr. Isitt, " and ask what their experience is. They will tell you that the gambling fever is tje-ti-ig a tighter grip of the people who are lea,&*. able to spend money in this way. " While I do not think that I can stop racing and gambling, I say it if right that the Government should not support them. I was asked to support the double totalisator, and was told that it would stop bookmaking. But one of the leading racing men came to me an-l said, ' Do not go in for the double totalisator because it is absolutely a fraud as regards stopping bookmaking. It will immensely increase the revenue and help the racing clubs.' " Mr. Isitt continued to say that his racing friends had professed to be against the bookmaker, yet in the Postal Bill there were two clauses to protect him. " You would have thought," Mr. Isitt continued, "that all the racing men would have got up and said, ' Isitt we will help you there,' but not a bit of it. Their sympathy was with the bookmaker and against the wowser. lam not a spoil snort. lam not agpinst snort," said Mr. Isitt. " but I believe that this thing is doing tremendous financial and moral hurt to the country, and whether I offend you or not, if you send me back to the House I will do my best to stop bookmaking and prevent an increase in racing permits."