"RACING VERSUS WORK."
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—It would seem that the Rev. E. Benson Perkins in his letter which youpublished on September 13th does not quite correctly state the effect of the Report which the Select Committee of the House of Commons issued upon the taxation of betting. He is right in saying that the Committee held the imposition of a tax on betting to be practicable. Whether it was desirable or not it did not, I think, decide, for although the words " and desirable " were struck out of the .Report, as Mr. Perkins states, by eleven votes to seven, the reason for striking them out was that " the impending dissolution of Parliament had prevented the Committee from sufficiently considering the remaining paragraphs of the Chairman's draft Report." In other words, the question whether a tax upon betting. is desirable or not was left open.
But I so heartily agree with Mr. Perkins in wishing to remedy or mitigate the evil of betting and gambling that I am not disposed to quarrel with him about words. The question which I should like him to be good enough to answer is, What do he and his supporters mean to do ? The crusade against betting and gambling has been long waged by means of sermons and speeches, pamphlets, letters, and other such attempts at creating or changing public opinion. But it has been so ineffectual that in the language of the Select Com- mittee's Report while " there are no statistics relating to the volume of betting in this country, either Government or private, nor are there really any data on which to form any estimate approaching accuracy," yet " on the figures placed before the Committee the estimates or guesses varied from L75,000;000 to £500,000,000, as the total sum staked each year with professional bookmakers on horse races, football matches, dog races, prize fights, golf tournaments and other contests." It is not enough to argue with Mr. Perkins that an Act of Parliament has been wrongly interpreted by judicial authority. No such reform as would sensibly diminish the volume of betting and gambling can be accomplished unless through an enlightened public opinion ; and the extremists who think it is a sin to stake a shilling on the ship's run at sea, like the other extremists who think it is a sin to drink a glass of wine, tend, I am afraid, to alienate the body of sensible, moderate, patriotic citizens whose support is necessary to any beneficent measure, whether in regard to drinking or to betting and gambling. There are some persons who have •been convinced, not altogether willingly, that a tax upon betting would certainly diminish the immoral practices now associated with betting and gambling, and would probably diminish the actual amount of betting and gambling. That is a distinct policy, whether it be right or wrong. Will not Mr. Perkins, if he rejects that policy, indicate some other, which affords a better hope of success than the means hitherto so unsuccess-
fully employed ?—I am, Sir, &c., J. E. C. WELLDON. The Deanery, Durham.
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