PUKEMAORI NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 19898, 17 June 1926, Page 4

PUKEMAORI NOTES

, AN INTERESTING DEBATE. (From Our Correspondent.) “Is too much time devoted to sport?” The local school was well filled on Friday evening, the 11th inst., the occasion being a debate on the subject, “Is too much time devoted to sport.” The meeting was opened by the singing of the National Anthem, after which Mr R. Taylor, who occupied the chair, said he felt sure that the Library Committee, who had organised the debate, must feel gratified at the large audience present. Mr T. Gray took the affirmative and was supported by Messrs A. G. McFarlane, A. Findlay and Mrs Taylor, while the negative position was taken by Mr C. Lay, supported by Mr R. Stringer and Miss Mcßean. Mr Gray, in opening the debate, contended that the amount of time and money devoted to modern sport was fast becoming a serious menace to industry and commerce. He substantiated his statement by reference to the large sums of money involved in the sport of boxing and horseracing and the time and energy devoted to football. He entered a plea for a return to the good old days of our fathers when recreation occupied a minor position. Mr Lay, in opening for the negative position, contented himself with defending the sport of horse-racing and spoke of the pleasure derived from this pastime, of its benefit to the country as seen in the improved breed of horses, the amount of money invested in the sport, the acquisition of property and the employment it gave to farriers, farmers and riders. Mr McFarlane criticised severely Mr Lay’s defence and asserted that the huge sums of money invested in the totalisator was sheer waste. Mr Stringer, for the negative, regretted that the debate had narrowed down to a discussion on racing. There were, he said, other forms of sport. Everyone needed relaxation from the daily grind of life. Sport produced a virile people; Britain was a sport-loving nation and she was one of the leading Empires of the world. Mrs Taylor suggested that it was possible for sport to obtain such a hold that it dominated the mind which mieht more profitably be devoted to higher things. Mias Mcßean criticised the statement that money spent on racing was wasted, and, continuing, advanced the theory that the money wasted was that which left the country. Totalisator investments circulated within the country and could not be described as sheer waste. Mr A. F. Findlay said that more time was devoted to sport than some people appeared to realise; it often seriously hampered the work of the employer. One only needed to peruse the columns of the daily Press to see that gambling often went hand in hand with certain forms of sport with disastrous results. After Mr Lay and Mr Gray had replied the proposition was put to the meeting and the honours went to the negative position by the narrow margin of three votes. The usual vote of thanks was accorded the chairman, after which supper, provided by the ladies, was handed round.