SUPPORT LOCAL BRAINS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1930, Page 12

SUPPORT LOCAL BRAINS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,-—(As a visitor to New Zealand permit-me to say how' surprised I was to read in the Taranaki Daily News in October an article by “Moturoa” on the invention of a new style of racing starter, the outcome of the brains of two New Zealanders, Hawera men, and one of them at least in a position to judge as to the deairability or otherwise of certain barriers favouring good starts and suiting nervous horses, “Moturoa,” however, dismisses them both very neatly, and in doing so brings along a Yankee device for the New 3 Zealand public.to’entertain. This device is not new and has been seen by hundreds of big Australian racing men many times. It serves the purpose there no doubt, but would not be entertained on big racecourses in Australia. There is room for improvement, ' everyone grants that. Many young horses hate the stall device, despite what the writer says about the “perfect starts” made in America. Also “Moturoa” says that “brilliant horsemen are given A won-

derful opportunity of securing substantial breaks on the less accomplished riders.” Surely he knows this may b© done- by “brilliant horsemen” in any case as against the “less accomplished riders.”

The - Hawera starter has been tried out to the great satisfaction of wellknown jockeys, trainers and a number eff racing men, and it is to be hoped that New Zealand racing clubs will give it a trial, when we may heai- of it in action on the well-known Australian and New Zealand \courses before long. Perhaps in that brilliant Melbourne Cup race when Windbag won with Manfred not far behind, had this New Zealand starting barrier been in use Mr. Ben Chaffey would have had his heart’s desire, and in a record time. Manfred always hated the starting barrier, and it generally managed to put him in a nervous mood.

In conclusion, may I say I am surprised to read in a New Zealand paper an article attaching so much importance to an American machine. 1 have understood prior to this that New Zealanders were most “unamerican.” But 1 find on observation that there is a decided American tendency in many things. Let New Zealanders have United States dried fruit, oranges, prunes, motors and slang, for it seems the country is inundateff with these, but preserve them from the American racing starter when they have a wonderful invention here of their own.—l am, etc., PHAR LAP.

[lt was not with the. idea of showing ■preference for an American over a New Zealand device that “Moturoa” wrote his comments. His argument was that the best was not too good for New Zealand racecourses and'therefore the authorities should explore every possible avenue of ■ invention.—Ed. Daily News,]