The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1896. THE TOTALISATOR.

Opunake Times, Volume IV, Issue 175, 6 March 1896, Page 2

The Opunake Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1896. THE TOTALISATOR.

In dealing with the subject of the totalisator and. the stand taken by the Premier in regard to the action of the Wellington Metropolitan Club, the Wanganui Herald says :—“ It used to be urged in favor of horse racing that it tended to improve the breed of that useful animal, but since the institution of handicapping this statement has been less frequently advanced, as the adjustment of weights necessary to give a speedy weed a chance of beating a good horse has done more to stop the improvement of the racehorse than anything else. When it takes a difference of four or five stone to equalise the chances of a Carbine and a flashy animal that could not carry a well-grown lad five miles to school five days a week, it may be seen how little racing of late years has done to improve the general quality of the thoroughbred horse. As if handicapping were not enough to ensure the deterioration 'of the thoroughbred horse, short sprint races of from half a mile to a mile have been largely introduced in place of the longer weight-for-age contests, which tried the stamina and endurance of the animals that provided “ the sport of kings ” in days gone by, which often carried as much as list over threemile courses. It is true they could not do any part of the distance in such times as are now put up by animals carrying feather-weights in sprint races, but they were noble animals that could carry a full-grown man and stand an amount of work the modern racehorse would break down uuder in a very short time if called upon to perform. It is quite clear, therefore, that horse racing as at present conducted does not tend to improve the breed of the animals engaged in that branch of sport, and it may naturally be asked, what good purpose does it fulfil ? So far as we can see it has degenerated into a mere instrument of gambling, and has grown to an alarming magnitude in this country by means of the funds provided by the totalisator, which per se is a vast improvement on the blatant human layer of the odds, who, prior to its advent, reaped a golden harvest from his dupes, who seldom had a hundred to one chance of winning a wager from these clever “ metallicians.” But the machine has its drawbacks. It makes gambling too easy, and tempts thousands of people to risk their money on horse races who would never dream of doing so if they had to do it through the agency of a bookmaker. It has furthermore unduly multiplied race meetings until the evil has assumed such overgrown proportions that the Government feels called upon to limit the use of the totalisator in order to cut down the terrible waste of time and money consequent upon the too frequent race meetings in all parts of the colony, where during the racing year 1894-95 some 250 meetings took place extending over about 300 days. We were therefore very pleased to read the Premier’s remarks on the subject when replying to the deputation from the Sandon Racing Club, in which he said that the Government being responsible and not The Metropolitan Clubs for the proper restriction of the use of the totalisator, he was not going to allow the evil to go unchecked. He went further and plainly told the Wellington Metropolitan Club, which informed the Masterton-Opaki Club that it was not necessary the latter should be permitted the use of the machine, that he (Mr Seddon) would go still further and say that it was not necessary for any of the meetings in the district to be allowed that privilege, and that ail meetings in it would have to be held without a totalisator permit. If Mr Beddon has been correctly reported in this latter assertion, and carries out his expressed intention of refusing to grant any further totalisator permits in the Wellington Metropolitan Racing Club’s district, ho ’caunot stop there, but must do so in all parts of New Zealand ; in fact, abolish the use of the machine in the colony altogether. We hardly think the Premier meant it to be understood that he was prepared to go to that length, but if he is ho is out of touch with the majority of the people, who are in favor of the totalisator within certain restricted limits, and would not consent to it being banished from our racecourses, as such a step would bring forth a rank crop of “ bookies ” once more, and do more injury to the morals of the rising generation of racecourse attendants than even the unrestricted use of the machine.