THE TOTALISATOR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10573, 30 September 1910, Page 2

THE TOTALISATOR.

KACIXG MAN'S DEFEXCE7 (Per Press Association.) ■ Wellington, September 29. In his annual report to members of the Wellington Kacing Club, the president (.Mr J. B. Harcourt) makes reference to the recent agitation for the abolition of the totalisator and suppression of racing, "I wish." remarks Mr Harcourt, "to acknowledge the valuable services rendered to the racing community by Sir George Clifford, more especially in his recent memorandum presented to the House of Kopresoutatives. In this document he points out that there are abost 3040 horses employed in racing and 'trotting in Xew Zealand, and that the annual disbursements on account of wages and other expenses amount to .about £653.144. He. estimates that during race and show week in Christchurch a sum of about £50,000 is spent. From the returns of the'various racing clubs it is estimated that about 240,000 people in Xew Zealand attend race meetings—or say, 200.000—and if each of these people put only Id on every race it would provide the annual sum put through the totalisator amounting to £1,868,534. This certainly rami >i be considered an extravagant, amount. The present agitation "to suppress racing would mean throwing a very large number of people out of employment, and withdrawing from circulation ,i very large sum of money. The. loss to people in business in centres of population, where the big meetingare hold, would be enormous. The loss of. railway traffic would aho be heavy. These ligun-s an- very astounding, and, considering the interests that are ".t stake, it is the duty of those who attend our meetings and enjoy the entertainment provided for them, to band together and see that men are returned to Parliament who will prevent ;> wrong being done, to the large section of the public who enjoy a day's racing. It is estimated that ' not iess than 15,000 of the people residing in Wellington attend race meetings, and •!' these exercise their votes in 'the right direction at election time men should be returned who would see that so large a section of the public are not deprived of their pleasures; and undoubtedly if the totalisator was done away with a. very great -wrong would be done to racing in the Dominion. Electors interested in racing should keep the division list of those who voted in Parliament on the motion for the abolition of the totalisator, for when the -next election occurs this division should be remqmbered."