172 RIDING 



not very many wealthy men, such an addition to the sums which 

 may be placed to the credit side of the racing account is, for those 

 who do not look to increase (or diminish) their balances by 

 betting, a great incentive to breed and run horses, as well as to 

 incur expenditure in procuring the best blood from home. 



In a small and not over wealthy community belting in very 

 large sums was never possible. The leviathan bookmakers 

 of New Zealand would be unable to face the loss of a few 

 hundreds on settling-days ; consequently racing has never been 

 looked upon as a sport at which a fortune could be made, and 

 the extinction of the bookmaker is not greatly regretted, even by 

 the plunger. 



The objection offered to the totalisator is the same as that 

 which has been advanced against the public-house, or the 

 tables at Monte Carlo namely, that its publicity and conspicu- 

 ousness tempt men to gamble who would otherwise not fall into 

 temptation. It is said that ladies and lads club their shillings 

 together to buy a ticket in the totalisator, and that the fami- 

 liarity of the operation divests the bettor of any suspicion of 

 immorality in the eyes of his or her fellows. 



But, on the other hand, those who, with the Bishop of Peter- 

 borough, hold that gambling for such small sums as the specula- 

 tor can well afford has nothing immoral in it, will be inclined 

 to think that the fact that a man must have a golden sovereign, 

 that no cheque or I U will avail, and that there can be no 

 entering into an engagement which he may not be able to fulfil, 

 are advantages which preponderate over the drawbacks. 



To these considerations must be added the fact that it 

 is no longer worth anybody's while to 'square' a jockey or 

 trainer beforehand, since it is impossible, till the race has 

 started, to know what price may be obtained against any horse. 

 But no plan has yet been 'devised which will compel a man 

 when he runs a horse always to run him to win. Even with 

 the totalisator there is sometimes in-and-out running of such 

 a kind as can only be attributed to the owner's desire to ' get 

 a machine.' 



