When Lord—Muir-Mackenzie moved the second reading of the Gaming Bill in the House of Lords, Viscount Chaplin, the famous owner of the sensational Derby winner Hermit, said Lord Muir-Mackenzie need be under no apprehension whatever about taking the matter on himself. The sporting world, and he believed the British public generally, would be greatly indebted both to him and to the speech of the Lord Chancellor. He would support the Bill on what he believed to be a thoroughly practical ground. If Lord Muir-Mackenzie's action was able to defeat the policy that might be pursued he would be doing a great service to what was a very important industry in this country. If betting was to be seriously affected or prevented for the future it would undoubtedly have 'a very serious effect on race _mectings. The attendance would be much less, and consequently the stakes to be run for would be very much smaller, and the general effect of that would be most prejudicial to the impo: tant industry of horse breeding, and in_particular of the type of horse that was required by cavalry.
It had been the support given!
racing in periods of peace that/ had provided the type of horse we wanted in time of war. These horses, almost with a single exception, were the produce of! thoroughbred sires, and those sires} were bred for racing, and racing! alone. If racing was_ seriously prejudiced, as it might be under the decision recently given, if_ it were not for the introduction of a Rill of this kind, nobody could say what the effect might be upon the! horsebreeding industry. Fewer and fewer of these thoroughbred sires would be produced from year to year, and by degrees we should stea decrease the production of that type of horse which had become famous and desired thoroughout the world. If we considered} what was done la the late war by Lord Allenby and his cavalry in Palestine, he thought even those who kad no feeling in favour of sport would be strongly of opinica that this was a very serious matter. Hie would give all his support to the Bill. (Cheers.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.