5 JUNE 1926, Page 3

Derby day this year was the third wet Derby day

in succession, and it was the worst of the three. As fewer trains were running the downpour mercifully helped the police by reducing the crowds on the road. There might Otherwise have been an unparalleled congestion. The Epsom Downs were like a morass. But weather has only -a local effect ; the interest in the Derby grows wider and greater, we think, every year, and with it the spread of betting, particularly in the form of sweepstakes. We hope that the opponents of the betting tax are noting these facts and pondering on the inadequacy of their methods. * * * *