RACING AND THE WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16542, 16 November 1915, Page 7

RACING AND THE WAR

CAPTAIN SIMSON INTERVIEWED. HIS RICCARTON SPEECH JUSTIFIED. (Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.) OHRISTOHURCH, November 15. In an interview this afternoon Captain Simson said it had been stated that the returned soldiers who were with liim did not endorse his statements. To this* he replied that the evening before he made, his speech he called a meeting of returned soldiers at the C.D.C. office, and told them, what he intended saying. About 40 of them agreed to go with him and support him, and to get other soldiers to attend. The action which he took he considered to bo a dignified protest on behalf of 'himself and the soldiers against the extraordinary procedure of the Canterbury Jockey Club in going on with its meetings during* such a critical period of the Empire's history. There was no use arguing that he should havo asked for permission to make the speech, because ho would never have got it. Also it would have been useless to take a hall to address a meeting, because ho would not have had in his audience a 6ingle one of those whom he wished to get at. Thero was a, mistaken impression, Captain Simson continued, that his remarks* on Saturday showed a lack of appreciation of the work done for the soldiers of the Empire by the women of New Zealand. That was not so, and was due to a misapprehension. He thoroughly appreciated the good work of the ladies, but on Saturday he was not out to propose votes of _ thanks or express appreciation for anything that anybody had done; What he wanted to do was to make perfectly clear what had not been done. His point was that racing should be curtailed, and he (contended that the women on the course, by their presence there, gave encouragment to those with whom rested the decision as to whether or not racing should proceed. They also gave encouragement to the thousands of men on the course who should have been at the front. The women of New Zealand had expressed sympathy with their suffering sisters in Belgium and Serbia, and if they were sincere in tiheir sympathy they would not' countenance the continuation of sports and entertainments which kept away from their duty so many thousands of men. It was ridiculous to think that it was necessary for him or any other soldier to state publicly that he appreciated the work of the women.