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AUSTRALIAN BETTING MEN AND WAYS. Men of Affluence at Head of Ring — Melbourne and Caulfield Cups Popular Betting Mediums. The members of the ring in Australia are n respectable body of men, although au undesirable person is occassi.nally to be nut with. I.i tting is inseparable from horse racing, and there are some heavy plungers on the Colonial turf. The two principal clubs in Australia, I mean sporting clulis. are Tat tersalls in Sydney and the Victorian Club in Melbourne. There are also clubs in Adelaide and Rrishane. Sydney Tattersalls is one of the best appointed clnbs of its kind in- the world. The building cost a lot of money, and the main room, where the husiness is transacted, is a model of luxury. Mr. Perry is the secretary and an admirable man for the position. The Victorian Club in Melbourne is not so elaborate as that in Sydney, but it is adequate for all requirements, and during the cup week it is a busy place. Mr. Haydon is the secret ii y. and has managed it for many years. It is surprising, considering the population, what an enormous amount of money is turned over on the colonial turf in a year. Hundreds of thousands of join. ds change hands in betting with the book-nakers. and by means of the totalizator in Queensland nr.d South Australia. In addition to this, many thousands of pounds pass through the hands of sweep promoters, and a year or so back. I should say a half million of money was invested in sweeps on the Melbourne Cup alone. This sounds big, but it is under rather thar- over the maik. In Sydney there are scores of shops where double • vent betting takes place on all local events of any importance and on every horse and pony meeting held during tin week. List are openly ported up in these shops, which are supposed merely to be kept for tlie sale of tobacco, etc. A few cigars may be seen in the window, but the proprietor would probably be astounded if any one asked for them. Of course all this is illegal, but the police take the whole thing as a Matter of course and the law is set openly at defiance. A raid is made upon these shops at intervals, and the proprietors are summoned and fined a small amount, which they willingly contribute to the revenue of a grateful country- Three or four years ago matters in this direction were much worse than when I left in the present year. A sentence of a month or three months imprisonment, without the option of a fine, has had a salutary effect. The "double event" men had no objertion to paying a fine, but when it came to a question of three months hard labor it was a different matter. "Silver Books" for Humbler Customers. The odds in these shops were laid to a shilling, and it was in former days no uncommon thing to see as much as fifty to a hundred pounds to a shilling, and more, laid on a Caulfield and Melbourne up. Twenty pounds to a shilling, and sometimes —ore, could be obtained about a double at a Saturday suburban meeting. Thousands of pounds passed through the hands of these double event layers, and some of the big men in the ring at last found it necessary to start "Silver Books," as they are termed, to oblige their humbler customers. I well recollect backing a winning doable with Joe Phillips, of Market street. "Joseph" kept the usual tobacconists shop, and at the rear of it you could loll back in a chair and allow the barber to operation your chin. Shaving has a soothing effect, if the razor is not like a handsaw, and pats one into a contemplative frame of mind. It must have been the extra good shave that gave me luck; for as I went out of the room into the shop I asked "Joe" what he would lay on Wild Rose and Highborn for the Newmarket Handicap and Australian Cup. "Four hundred to one are the odds." he responded, and I put down my coin and he booked the bet. It came off. and the next morning the ceiling of Jospehs shop fell in. When I got into town and went to collect my money I found the merry bookie up to his knees in debris. "No wonder the roof fell in." said Joe, when he saw me smiling in the doorway. "Fancy you booking a winning double." Joe Phillips always swears it was this remarkable circumstance that made his ceiling give wav. Anyhow. I got my money, and we knocked down a bottle at "Sams." next door. Such wagers as these do no man any harm. Leader of Ring Man of Affluence. But to the ring and the men in it. First and foremost the leader of the ring is Mr. Huinphev Oxenham. a man who has the good will of ail classes. To show the respect in which he is held. I have only to say that before he left on a trip to the old country a banquet was tendered him in the Town Mall, at which the Minister of Justice presided, and the then Premier. Sir George Dibbs. sent a neatly worded apology for his absence: "All sorts and condition* of men" were present, and among them members of parliament ad lib. It was a glorious success, and we had a fine time of it. Mr. Oxenhams transactions in the ring are all on a large scale, and in giving a description of his mode of carrying on business a fair idea will be obtained of the Australian ring generally. The "Leviathan." as he is generally called, always was found a genuine and upright* man. a good husband and father, a generous, high-minded citizen. Mr. Oxeiiham was liberal and his hand was always in his pocket when help was needed. How much he gave away in the course of a year I cannot sav. but it must be a large sum. No deserving case was ever passed unnoticed by him, and many a man hard up had cause to bless him. Mr. Oxenham had places of business in Sydney. Melbourne and Brisbane; and in addition io his large bookmaking transaction, he now runs "sweeps." His name is known throughout Australasia, and a check signed Humphrey Oxenham would be accepted as readily as coin of the realm. Mr. Oxenhams ramifications extend from Thursday Island on the one hand to West Australia on the other, and all the intervening territory is represented on his books. Even from India, Fiji and New Caledonia money is sent for him to invest. Those who have had opportunities of glancing over Mr. Oxenhams books have noted "books" to tlie amount of 10.000 pounds on a single big race meeting. Eighteen hundred and ninety-four was a quiet year on account of depression," but on the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup meetings he had hooks to the extent of 63.000 pounds open. He laid 10.000 on the Caulfield Cup: 15.000 the Melbourne Cup: ,000 the Derby: 10 000 the two cups double; 10.000 the Derby and Cup double; 10.000 the treble — two cups and Derby. 2.000 at starting price and 1,000 places, in all 53,000. Losos 50,000 on Melbourne Cup. The year Malvolio won the Melbourne Cup 1S91 Mr. Oxenham lost 30. 000 pounds over the winner, and yet he had such an enormous amount of money in his book that he actually came out a winner oh the race. Had an outsider won what a haul he would have had. Extremely liberal odds are laid by the ring over such races as the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. A month before the Caulfield Cup. when Paris won, nearly seventy horses were qouted in Mr. Oxenhams list at 50 to 1. and more than that number in the Melbourne Cup. When Glenloth won the Melbourne Cup a 100 to I could have been had on the course. When Tarcoola won the following year I saw 40 to 1 laid against him and when Patron won last November 33 to 1 could be had. When Carbine won it was a difficult matter to get money on at all. even at 4 or a to 1 in the ring, and I believe on the day of the race, in Sydney, some infatuated backers accepted 2 to 1 about his chance. Retting on a Melbourne Cup commences six months before the race, and an occasional wager is recorded before that. In addition to Mr. Oxenham there are many bookmakers with big volumes on this great race. Mr. Jack Cohen, of Melbourne, lays in thousands: also Mr. Alf Josephs, the leader of the Victorian ring. Mr. Sam Alb it is a | I bettor. Mi. Charles Westbrook makes a big book, and Paddy Burke is as genial a man a* there is in the I ing. It takes a large stall of clerks to look after such a business as Mr. Oxenhams, Niil it is a poor days work in the Sydney establishment when a couple of hundred pounds js not taken. Mr. Tom Rose manages this department, and a right good fellow* he is. Tom Rose knows a heap about foot racing, and he had a lot to do wMfa that champion aboriginal runner, Charlie Samuels, who downed Hatch-ins. lie spins yarns by the hour about the proiss of Samuels. On one occasion Tom Rose ■» -Samuels ovi r to North Shore to run a trial, "lis was soon after the blackie came down from Queensland, and little was known about him. A crack runner was put up against him. and gave Charlie a start. The black fellow won easily. Kose then Mggeated Samuels should give the other man a start, which he did. and again romped in. much to the surprise of the said flier. Samuels was a wonderful runner, and won no end of handicaps and matches. On one occasion, when he had won several thousands for Mr. Lees and others he was asked how much money he wanted. The darkie said ho had no use for money, but would like a Middle. I believe a saddle was bought for him, but I never heard whether he ever used it. The last I heard of this champion runner was that he was living with a lot of blacks at a ditry poverty-stricken camp they had pitched at Botany, or in that direction. Few Commissioners in the Colonies. Ther. are few commissioners in the colonies, the bulk of the big orders being confined to four or five men. Most owners either bet themselves or get friends to put money on for them. Mr. Phil Qlea-ister is the best known and most popular commissioner, and score-: of big transactions have been en-triited to him. Mr. Glonister is a good all-round sportsman, and he is a fine hand at the trap, as the blue rocks know to their cost. He has done some good shooting at pigeons in his time. He is also a fait billiard player. Mr. Glenistcr is a quiet, modest man. and invariably treats people with reaped. Mr. Sam Pradbury also has a large number of commissions entrusted to him, and he bets freely when be has a good thing on. Taken all around, the ring men are a solid lot of men. and to lie a member of Tattersalls or the Victorian Club is a guarantee of financial stability. The billiard tournaments at both these clubs are well worth seeing, and there is a lot of betting over the result. Handsome prizes are given, and the winner is generally a good, all-round player. The 1915 season was a "star" one, and the record in the Antipodes and for the world if any country can equal it. I doubt. Here are the figures: Seven hundred and fifty -one thousand four hundred and ninety-two pounds in stakes ran for or roughly S3. 757. 500. Now. in England we approached the 500.000 pounds in 1s»»7; as a matter of fact Wi re rt414 ,070 under that round sum. There were several 10.000 pounds races run for on the English turf them. So that the Australian turf is now at flood tide prosperity. The above sum was shared by 4.047 winners, the offspring of 959 sires. Our highest total here seems to be 573. 4S7 pounds iu 1!»13 for racer under Newmarket rules. No steeplechases or hurdles. To match the Australian turf record we should have to add in all our ■tin lilt chasing and hunt meetings. — London Letter to Cincinnati Enquirer.
