Sporting Review. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1893.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 176, 7 December 1893, Page 4

Sporting Review. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1893.

It is evident from the action taken by the Avondale Jockey Club in prohibiting betting on their course that the opinion is gaining ground amongst racing clubs throughout the North Island that the bookmaking industry is inimical to their interests. Down South the Ring is not officially recognised, and the Auckland Racing authorities may be said to be the only metropolitan organisation which has opened its doors to the pencillers. The experiment does not appear to have been a success, for at their last Spring Meeting the A.R.C. prohibited betting on the paddock and lawn, and confined the operations of the bookmakers to the outer enclosure. Some time back it will be remembered, the Auckland Trotting Club refused not only to allow the opening of books on their course, but went so far as to exclude bookmakers even as spectators. This was a somewhat extreme measure, and one which at first sight appeared to be harsh and uncalled for ; but the club held the opinion that it was the only effective way of preventing the opening of books. The Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, South Auckland, and several other clubs followed suit to a certain extent by pro hibiting all betting on their courses, and now the Avondale stewards have arrived at a similar determination. This growing decision to banish bookmaking is a serious thing for the Ring ; but one cannot help coming to the conclusion that it is the result of the action taken by a certain section . of the pencilling fraternity. The responsibility in the matter undoubtedly lies at the door of those Ringmen who initiated the system of laying totalisator odds, and the members of the Ring who have kept to their legitimate business must know where to lay the blame. The result is beginning to press hardly upon them, and the inconvenience will undoubtedly increase and intensify unless some compromise can be effected between the clubs and the Ring. With so many of the racing bodies under the jurisdiction of the A.R.C. taking the steps alluded to, it must be merely a matter of time before the Metropolitan Club endorses their

action by passing a similar resolution. And then where will the bookmakers be ? The members of the Ring are naturally very sore over the affair, but that will not mend matters. Three or four representatives appeared to be exceedingly wroth at being excluded from Saturday’s meeting, but their anger had no disastrous effect upon the gathering. The heavens neglected to fall and chastise the stewards for their temerity in ignoring the Ring, and the only appreciable effect appeared to be an increase of over £3OO in the totalisator returns as compared with those for the last meeting held by tne club.

The position which the Avondale Club took up was not a very harsh one, and the metallicians, as business men, must surely recognise this. Racing clubs cannot be conducted at a loss, and the records of the past season show that in the majority of cases the clubs throughout New Zealand have had to face a deficit on the year’s transactions. Take the case of the Avondale Club. The balance-sheet presented at the annual meeting held on the 16th of last month showed about on the credit side; and the club considered itself lucky to have even that amount to the good. It stood out as a favourable exception to the general rule of clubs whose annual meetings disclosed falling revenues. Under all the circumstances of the case the demand made upon the bookmakers was not so unreasonable. Business is business, in racing as in other matters, and no one should know this better than the nngmen. A business man finds that a shrinkage in profit is taking place in a certain direction, and he at once provides for it in some other way. And why should a racing club not do the same ? The tale told by the last C.J.C. Spring totalisator returns was eloquent testimony that illegitimate betting, with its corresponding loss to the clubs, is on the increase, and to equalise this the Avondale stewards requested the bookmakers to pay / 2 2s per day for the privilege of betting. Only one member of the Ring applied for a permit within the time stipulated by the stewards, and the latter consequently decided to exclude betting altogether. These are the facts of the case, and the parties principally interested, viz., the pencillers, must recognise that, there is nothing more in the action taken by the club in question than is justified by fair business competition. Through the existence of what has been termed ‘ animated totalisators,’ the club feared a decrease in their returns which, as was shown by their last annual meeting, they could ill afford to bear. They accordingly tried to minimise the evil by charging higher betting fees. In arriving at this decision there was no personal animus on the part of the stewards, and we are sure the authorities of the club sympathise, as we do, with those members of the Ring who have adhered strictly to their legitimate betting, and who, through no fault of their own, are in danger of having a great portion of their business abolished. The honest metallicians are suffering through the acts of a decidedly slender minority, and in justice to themselves the former should repud.ate the acts of the illegitimate bettors and use all their influence to suppress the laying of totalisator odds. The A.R.C. Summer Meeting is at hand, and unless the laying of machine odds be discontinued the Ring may rest assured that stringent measures for its suppression will be adopted by the Metropolitan body.