THE TOTALISATOR

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 58

THE TOTALISATOR

TRAINER'S VIGOROUS CONDEMNATION. " A CRAZE IN NEW ZEALAND." SYDNEY, October 10. Mr R. J. Mason, the.-well-known New Zealand trainer, interviewed, strongly condemned the totalizator. He declared that "tote;" Cbetting has become such a craze in New Zealand that many of the workers have not a. penny to draw at the end of the week. This was one of the greatest curses of the machine. Business men, such as butchers and bakers, had to go without their money,' while many of their debtors splashed it on the ■'tote." He had seen women tear their clothes and rush to get tickets. Racing was now cheap and nasty. Most of the studmasters had been forced to sell out. Those remaining sent most of their yearlings to Sydney, where better prices were obtainable, because there was no "tote" in existence there.

SPORTSMAN'S CONDEMNATION EXPLAINED. (From Ouk Own Correspondent.) . CHRISTCHURCH, October 13. Mr R. J. Mason, the well-known trainer, who has charge of Mr G; P. Greenwood's team, returned to Christohurch to-day from a visit to Australia. A Press reporter brought under Mr Mason'6. notice the cabled report of a Sydney pressman' view with him, in which Mr Mason was stated to have strongly condemned the totalisator. In reply, Mr Mason stated that he preferred not to say much on the matter until the full report of the interview, as published, was available, though he was quite prepared to stand by anything he actually said in regard to the totalisator. He was annoyed to find on reaching NewZealand that a few of the things he said had been picked out arid cabled over and other portions of his remarks had"" been altogether misconstrued. When questioned by the Sydney pressman about the totalisator, he replied: "What do you want the totalisator here at all for? Here in the A.J.C. you've, got the best club in the world, and the-one that is the most liberal in regard to both stakes and entrance fees." Mr Mason went on to say that an owner could keep a horse in the A.J.C. Derby, a £4OOO race, and also in all other classic races, right up to general entry day, which fell a fortnight before the race, for a solitary £l. They got very large fields in. the races there without the totalisator, and did not want bigger onos. In replying to the questions put to him in Sydney, ho was talking about the i>roposal to introduce the totalisator over there. He told them that they should let well alone, and he expressed he opinion that New Zealanders should not .go over there and agitate for the introduction of the totalisator into New South Wales. There were a very large number of people there racing and breeding who were not in favour of the machine. Mr Mason added that over here in New Zealand it was quite different, as the population was small, and there was no other way of getting stakes to race for. Referring to racing in the Coijiimonwealth, Mr Mason said that the sport was booming. Where years ago there was one good horse, there were now 60, and races were much harder to win than they used to be. He expressed the opinion that the "general standard among the racehorses in Australia was higher than in New Zealand, because for one good horse that could be taken over there from this I>ominion there were scores to be found in Australia.