GREYHOUND CRAZE.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17277, 13 December 1927, Page 4

GREYHOUND CRAZE.

MONEY FOR DEALERS. A CHECK ON THE BOOM. LEGALITY OF RETTING. (From a Correspondent.) LONDON, October 19. As the legality of betting on dog races is to be tested in the Law Courts shortly, the boom in greyhounds has been temporarily checked ' On the' assumption that the new sport has come to stay, and that at least 30,000 greyhounds will ibe required to supply the many tracks that will be 1 open next season, feverish dealing has been taking place. Anything .from £4O to £250 has been asked during the last fortnight for dogs which would formerly have with diffi;oulty realised £2' 10s. Dogs j which have been withdrawn from 1 'tracks as useless have been snapped |up at high price's'. Many professional dog dealers have turned their atten- . tion to greyhounds, and have reaped j rich harvests until the past week, when business became very quiet with little or no buying. Good greyhounds fetched high prices even before the present popularity of racing, but there was no market whatever for bad ones. As a general rule these were destroyed, but sometimes they were offered for sale at public auctions, and, made from £2 to-£5, That class of dog is now largely employed on the track, and fetches prices averaging at least £oo. A dog bought in the spring by a racing syndicate for £lO was sold an August for £25 to a private owner. He took £lO profit the next day, and m a fortnight the dog,, having won two races,-was-sold for £l2O. Another, which had been bought for a few pounds, won a race, was soul for £3O, and sold again two days later for £SO. A third, bought lor £45 before.it had .won a race, changed hands at-£75.

New Temptation. At the Congregation Assembly at Newcastle-on-Tyne a resolution deal- | ing with gambling had special refer-, once to greyhound racing. r ~ , Spicer urged- ail ■Gongregationa churches and schools strenuously to j resist the habit both an its older forms , and iff the new form of greyhound racing, and emphasised growing on-, jm-v to' personal character, to true sport, and to the integrity and efficiency of commerce and industry, caus ed by the habit. He said he was ojad j lint this urgent call was goin 0 f°rt tl-om 11,0 Italon to all IMrWM and', schools to be up and dom, * f. v sisting this new uprising of betting i U,at tad oomo over Uie cowlry m cmoccUoh with the poMt ino- cr'v/e It .was almost moie than Se/Xed hope that none of their schools ’i and' institutes , should have ; been touched by it. It v>as o >| therefore, that they should utter a j word of warning m regard to this oraze that iiad so rapidly developed. Ueuini and, gambling offended the Divine law of work and the Divine law SCo oad he suggested Mjelit™ trilling ■ with the question to su 60 e.st hat the “little lluUer” for excitement sake was defensible and did not offend against the golden rule. He .wanted to ask all members of. their .churches, ail -ministers and officers and-superm-i tendents in schools and- mstituUons to do all they could to stem the tiae nf this new temptation.. The Rev 'J. S. Perkins, Manchester, said his church was within a mile ot i the first greyhound racing ground u 1 So SIL • ana the - gamWias that ' was going onV there Had simply l brought ruin to the district.

Hurdles Objected To. Sit- William Joynson-HickS, the Home Secretary, has sent the oßnwiiv reply to Mr. J.. bromley, M?P. who brought to his notice the fact’that greyhounds. had been. injured • by running into hurdles in , races which are called steeplechases. ‘‘My attention, had not previously been called to the matter about which you wrote me on the Ist inst., but since your letter was received I have seen.a press report of what occurred at Ilarringay. The report does no disclose that any breach of the law was .caused. If- it is alleged that - ■use of hurdles in dog-racing involves cruelty it is, of. course,, open to any Sf to- have the matter tested in the, Courts, but . I regret that, oil the facts before me I would not feel justified in taking any action in the matter. ’ Mr Bromley stated that' he would raise the matter in the House of Commoiis at the earliest opportunity after Parliament reassembles. In his letter to Ihe Home Secretary Mr Bromley ■ expressed. the I opinion that supporters • of dog-rac-ing should be able to get all tlm pleasure necessary from either watching it or betting on the results without the use of hurdles, which, he. said “arc an unnecessary danger to the 'dogs, whose eyes, fixed on the hare, and, on a curved track do not, in the artificial light, see the., obstruction until, too late to save themselves from injury.” j