THE BETTING EVIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10824, 18 July 1913, Page 4

THE BETTING EVIL.

RACING CONFERENCE'S ACTION. SIR GEORGE CLIFFORD'S EFFORT. MOTION DEFEATED. [iv.u Pmsss Association.] WELLINGTON, July 17. The question of preventing anyono interested in a horse from betting with a. bookmaker was discussed bv tli o Racing Conference to-day. •Sir Grorgo ClilFord ;said that the conference had to take tho greatest care to comply with the laws of tho country and do everything in its power to purify tho sport of racing. Nearly everything which _ lmd acted to tho detriment of racing had originated from the bookmaker. As soon .-is thoy wero debarred from tho racecourses thero was no doubt public support to racing clubs largely increased, and it was his firm conviction that clubs should show they were absolutely in earnest to free the sport entirely of tho incubus which still, in a diminished manner, tried to influence it. Mr E. W. A 1 ison said that the law was that no bookmaker;) should exist, but was this not broken even by many members of tho conference? I'ho law could not be effectually carried out, and if tho conference carried the proposal ho wanted to know what the effect would bo. The members of the conference and racing men throughout tho florainion would break tho law and do it in such, a way that they could not be got at. They would break a rule of racing which they considered was arbitrary and had no right to be passed by tho conforeneo. If the rule was passed it would be resented very strongly by owners in New Zealand. They wero going too far, and if tho rule was passed it was not going to purify racing ono iota, i Mr Vavasour: What penalty would a person incur if lio breaks this rule? The chairman: No doubt it would be disqualification. . Mr Alison said that he wanted to make it perfectly clear that since the law had b?en altered he had not had a wager on any race with a bookmaker. Mr Hunter said the motion was a step in tho right direction, but ho was sorry to hear that mora hers of tho Conference bet with bookmakers. No doubt Mr Alison spoke on the spur of the moment.' Mr Alison: "No, I didn't speak on the spur of the moment." Mr Hunter: " Well, it is our duty to it." 'lhe chairman said that he brought forward this motion because he considered it his duty to try and extirpate the last element of an evil that had hampered the finest sport in the world. In New Zealand they had purified the 6port, and he considered it was far ahead of racing in nearly every other part of tho world. They liad got so far-that thoy had banished the bookmaker from their courses, for legislation had rendered his operations illegal, and tho conference would not he doing its duty if it did not enforce that wiso Act which checked his operations. If thero wero members of the conference dealing with bookmakers, then it was all tho more reason theso restrictions should bo placed on them. They could only hope to continue this sport by carrying it on under pure conditions. Double betting with bookmakers was tho curse of racing in New Zealand, and he was surprised that any voices should havo been raised in opposition to the motion ho proposed. The motion was lost, the voting being for 17, against 10. It had to be carried by a three-quarters majority to become operative.