RACING CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 14, 16 July 1931, Page 9

RACING CONFERENCE

OBLIGATIONS TO BE MET

• In view of the discontent-that had- been expressed in several quarters regarding what had been termed the ever-increasing expenses of the Racing Conference, the attention of jockey club representatives was drawn to certain facts in that connection by Mr. O. S. Watkins in his presidential address this morning. The public, by investing on the totalisator, he said, supplied the revenue from which clubs obtained virtually the total amount given by them in stakes, though some of the larger clubs were able to supplement this amount from other sources. The point,, he desired to emphasise was that as the public supplied these funds they were entitled to demand an adequate supervision of the .' general control and conduct of racing, and of racecourses also. It was therefore the duty of the conference authorities to afford the necessary protection. The appointment of stipendiary stewards and racecourse inspectors was intended primarily to satisfy this obligation.. ■ Some years ago the >Rulea of Racing provided that the whole of the revenue derived from totalisator investments must be given in stakes. To enable clubs to meet conference and, district committee levies without touching upon other'sources of revenue,, the rules were amended. Clubs were now required to give in stakes not less than 90 per cent, of the average net amount derived from the totalisator during the preceding three years, and from the remaining 10 per cent, was derived the amount required by the conference to meet the cost of stipendiary stewards and racecourse inspectors, etc. It would be apparent, in view of this explanation, that the public was actually paying for its own protection, the clubs being a. collecting medium only. Apart from the cost involved in supplying the services of stipendiary stewards and racecourse inspectors, amounting to £8165 Is 2d, the net cost of administration of the conference for the current year had been £1582 6s Bd. This amount included, however, sums of £408 3s lOd, being the cost of the New Zealand Stud Book (published every third year), and £315 10s 8d non-recurring expenditure on the revised Rules of Racing. Deducting these two items, the net cost of administration was reduced to £868 12s 2d. Surely this amount could not be looked upon as excessive. During the year the Executive Committee had examined every channel of conference expenditure with a view to effecting economies. The result of the committee's investigations had been that, the only reduction that could possibly be made was to reduce the salaries of the officers of the conference. The deduction so made would result in a total 'saving- of over £900 per annum. The fees, paid by owners for the various registrations that they are required to make under the Rules of Racing were most reasonable, considering the time and labour involved in connection therewith on the part of conference officers, and were/ in many instances, much lower than the corresponding fees charged in other countries, and in other'brunches, of the sport. • He sincerely trusted the explanation lis had given, combined with the fact of the Kxeeutive Committee's expruisp of .careful supervision over conference expenditure, would servo to correct the apparent misapprehension existing regarding conference expenses.

Incidentally lie mentioned that of last year's total levy of £05150 16s 8d eight clubs provided £4803 15s 9d, the remaining eighty-seven clubs paying only £4687 Os lid. The . inference suggested by the •figures Was that the larger clubs were bearing an undup proportion of the. conference expenses to the relief of n great number of smaller clubs.