THE WELLINGTON HANDICAPPER AND THE RACING CALENDAR.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 819, 16 November 1905, Page 7

THE WELLINGTON HANDICAPPER AND THE RACING CALENDAR.

In the last issue of the “ Weekly Press appears an extraordinary article in which the Wellington Racing Club is attacked for appointing Mr. Pollock as handicapper in.piace of Mr. Chadwick, nhile Mr. Pollock and Mr. Shannon, who were candidates for the position, are accused of a breach of good taste and other misdemeanours. “ In season and out of season Mr. Chadwick’s work has been condemned by these seekers af.er office. They have plainly advocated, a change o. handicappers by their hostile criticism, and that advocacy has been successful, and one of "the men now occupies the position formerly held by Mr. Chadwick. A man has a right to do what he chooses in endeavouring to obtain prefe.ment for himself in open competition, and neither Mr. Pol ock nor Mr. Shannon is to be blamed for trying to obtain a position for himself or for others considered open for application. I do not know whether journalists are of different material to handicappers, but after a fairly lengthy knowledge of gentlemen of the former profession I am happy to say I cannot call lo mind any case in which the good taste and the dignity of the Fourth Estate have fallen so sadly as in this affair. We have seen Mr. Chadwick slaughtered like some poor ox driven to the abattoirs, and ,the question arises whether handicappers should be allowed to contribute to the Press if they cannot refrain from attacking the work of their fellow-crafts-men. My own view is that handicappers should handicap and that newspaper men should confine themselves to literary work. The dual positions are not compatible, and the sooner newspaper proprietors recognise this the better it will be for both journalism and the Turf.” Such sweeping allegations against two gentlemen, who have records of much good work, should not be allowed to go unchallenged, especially as it appears on the Racing Calendar, and the matter affords one more argument in favour of the official organ being kept quite separate from any newspaper. The first man to exclaim against such an article must surely have been Mr. Chadwi'k himself, and on reading it no doubt the thought occurred: “ May heaven save me from my friends.” Both Messrs. Pollock and Shannon have done a great deal of handicapping, and their work has come in for much praise. It is simply ludicrous to say that because they, write for the papers they cannot be allowed to handicap. If this was so Mr. Chadwick would also suffer, as he has for years been a contributor to the “ Weekly Press,” the very paper, in fact, which now makes the above quoted absurd accusation. Apart from this the article also censures the Wellington Racing Club for making the appointment, and this will appear to most people to border perilously near to impertinence, for surely the Wellington officials are competent to appoint who they think fit. As to the question of good taste, we would ask if it is fair or in good taste for the editor of the

New- Zealand' Racing Calendar to attempt to prejudice' officials of clubs for or against any. handicapper for publishing such an article? There can be only one answer to such a question.