Humorously Treated by the Brit and Where the Bookmakers " Fell Down London, Nov. 4.
The main topic of the Racing World this week may be gathered from the posters of the London Evening papers "Bookmakers on Strike. think, however, that this demonstra tion is likely to affect the collcction of the tax or that the public is very much perturbed by the ways fof this very prosperous class. Its troubles are as a matter of fact treated humorously by the entire world of journalism. The bookmakfers themselves, however, take their ition very seriously. Tattersall's Ring yesterday went on strike against the betting tax at Windsor races, and in consequence the en la! tire business of betting on the Windsor programme came to a stop throughout the British Isles. As the bookmakers on the course refused to do business there was no "starting price" for any of the tact jand consequently the thousands of "starting price" bets made with office bookmakers all over the country became void. As there was no betting, the betting tax yield for Windsor yesterday amounts to nothing. Moreover, the bookmakers both of Tattersall's Ring and of the "Silver Ring" instituted a complete Doyeott of Windsor Races to-da The racecourse was picketed by the bookmakers in order to make sure that no bookmaker attended. It is suggested that the bookmakers may Jeontinve to boycott race meetings until the flat racing season end: on November 27, After the fourth race yesterday several impassioned speeches were made from the steps of the grand stand, and much enthusiasm was displayed by those who had remained to listen. Some of the malcontents. went round to the paddock to inter view the authorities, The First Imposition The tax was first imposed on Monday at Birmingham Flat and Wye JJumping Races. On these occasions the levying of the tax in Tatter~ all's was comparatively simple, but the cheaper enclosures bookmakers and backers were at first pulled by the fractional deductions of small transactions and the necessity for using coppers.
Bookmakers at the Wye (Kent) race meeting agreed generally that business had been "up to normal" for the meeting. Two of the Customs officials who were present watch the working of the tax declared that everything had worked satisfactorily. At Birmingham just before the first race there was an unnatural quiet both in Tattersall's and the Silver Ring. Nobody was shouting the odds; only the po tent voice of the optimistic tipster
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.