Interesting Decision of the Greyhound Racing Club ince the inauguration of gre; hound racing in Shanghai the que tion has come up whether it would not make the sport more interesting if in addition to the pari-mutuel, bookies were permitted to function. It is well-known, of course, that quite a number' of private individuals are in the habit of making, books among their circle of acquaintances not only for greyhound but for all other forms of racing. but this naturally does not affect the issue. The point really comes down to whether the introduction of the professional.bookie would be advantageous or otherwise to Shanghai. In this connection the decision taken by the authorities of Luna Park is of very grea portance.
We understand, that at a. committee meeting held this week the matter was discussed, and the decision arrived at was that the only betting at Luna Park should 16 through the pari-mutuel, It is understood that bookies other parts of the world have been casting covetous eyes towards Shanghai as a field for their activities, and that, where there the Semblanee of a chance to do business, numbers would lose no time in making their. way here, The danger always attendant upon the introduction of a new feature such as this is that among the number would probably be a proportion of the undesirable clement, One can imagine what the effect would be should it happen that crooked work was discovered proceeding in the enclosures of any of the racing clubs here, and as it would be impossible in the first instance to discriminate between the respectable deckies and those of the other variety, it is better that no risk at all should be run, for once anything: of the kind we have hinted at o: curred, the damage done would be irreparable, not only to racing but to the reputation of the whole foreign community.
In the circumstances bookies wil! not be allowed by the Greyhound Racing Club, which ruling will pro-dably appeal to the majority as being very sound,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.