202 ON AND OKJP THE TURF. 



*^ Smiler " he wrote some first-class articles. When 

 General Booth visited Australia " Smiler '' was turned 

 on to report his arrival in Sydney on the Saturday 

 for the next day's Sunday Times. Judge of my 

 amazement when I saw "" Smiler/' the pugilistic 

 writer, seated on the box seat of the GeneraFs 

 carriage, and looking as big a *^ blood and fire " man 

 as any of the S. A. men in the procession. From 

 his own account he created a favourable impression 

 on the General, who was fully convinced '^Smiler'' 

 must at least be a captain in the S. A. Army. I 

 fancy Mr. Hales would have had to vacate his seat 

 on the General's carriage had it been known to the 

 occupant that he was the boxing scribe of a sporting 

 paper. 



" Don't see anything incongruous about it," said 

 Mr. Hales to me. " We're both fighting men. Booth 

 and myself. There is only a difference in our 

 method." 



Mr. Hales ran for East Macquarie constituency at 

 one general election against the two old members, 

 Mr. Sydney Smith, Minister for Mines, and Mr. James 

 Tonkin. Considering he was quite a new man, had no 

 money, like most journalists, and no influence, he 

 polled remarkably well, and had he kept up his 

 connection with the constituency, would probably 

 have been elected at some future time. He informed 

 me that the payment of a Member of Parliament, £300 



