THE RACING CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 145, 21 June 1899, Page 3

THE RACING CONFERENCE.

SOME IMPORTANT PROPOSALS

The Eacing Conference which assembles at Wellington next month promises to provide our racing lawmakers with a lot of work. I gather this from the heavy list of notices for the Conference that are duly announced in the Calendar in the last issue of the "N.Z. Referee" to hand. As the otitcome of the Halbadier— Bluecap start at the Takapuna Summer Meeting the judges recommend that the. Conference should decide by rule whether the sole power of declaring a start valid shall be placed ip. the hands of the starter ,or whether such decision shall be subject to revision, and, if so, to plainly define on what grounds. In this connection the delegate j of the Auckland Racing Club will recommend "That the evidence, to be laid before the Appeal Court shall, in all cases, be the same as that laid before the Metropolitan Club at the original examination, and shall be sent through the Metropolitan Club." Important proposals respecting the future registration of trainers, jockeys and apprentices are recommended. Should these proposals be adopted a deal of work will be taken oft1 the hands of the Metropolitan Clubs and transferred to the Executive the Eacing Conference, who •would have the whole of the licensing business to transact. Trainers and jockeys before receiving licenses under the new proposals have to satisfy the authorities of their experience a*nd ability, and it is proposed also tha.t on and after August Ist, 1902, no new jockeys' license's shall be issued unless the applicant has served an apprenticeship of at least three years continuously in a recognised training establishment. Exceptional circumstances are provided for. Regulations for apprentices have also been drawn up. By-laws for the disposition of the Trainers' and Jockeys' Provident Fund are also recommended. It is proposed, to give larger .and wider powers for disposal of the funds, and provision is made for grants from the funds ■under special circumstances. The question of ownership and nomination of horses is also to be dealt with. Proposals with respect to trainers not being allowed to run horses unless they are absolutely their own property and also having reference to assumed names and partnerships are included in the recommendations. A proposal will also be submitted with the object of preventing a dead heat in which one of the horses is a two-year-old being run off, The question of compelling clubs to couple on the totalizator the names of horses starting in the same nomination will be brought forward. A proposal "That at any race meeting where the totalizator is used no race shall be run for a less sum than l£50" is also down for debate. Mr J. H. Hankins, solicitor, delegate for the country clubs of Wanganui, will bring forward proposals for the registration of clubs, with a view to control establishment of clubs and prevent an undue increase in the cumber. The report of the Committee re the Official Calendar will also be brought up, and also other amendments to the rules, so there is a busy time in store for the gentlemen who are being sent to Wellington on behalf of the respective clubs.