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NEW ZEALAND RACING RETURNS. In some notes on what racing has done for New Zealand. Sentinel, in the Otago Witness. says: "From 1892 to 1914 racing supplied just about .-750.000 of bullion to the government coffers. Thus three-quarters of a million came from the totalizator tax. with the exception of a few odd thousands derived from the tax on the gate money. Since the outbreak of war racing has been further taxed by the creation of a tax on dividends and a tax on stakes. Last year 39,015 was paid in racing tax into the treasury, and this year it will by means of the additional taaxtion run into many thousands more. In addition, racing will contribute tens and .tens of thousands to the public purse — that which is open to necessity in every direction — as a result of the majority of racing clubs contributing their entire profits, or portion of it. to the various patriotic funds. Still, there are some people who would stop racing tomorrow. Such people regard racing as a mere pleasure, and forget or ignore that anything which circulates nearly 0,000,000 per annum must of necessity carry a fairly vast industry in its train. There is a vast industry connected with racing, and if the sport stopped, or halted even for a year or two. the money invested would probably be taken out of the country and re-invested elsewhere. Perhaps it would never come back again."
