N.Z. RACING CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 167, 14 July 1916, Page 6

N.Z. RACING CONFERENCE.

THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH. COMMENTS ON BOOKMAKING. PUBLICATION OF DIVIDENDS. (By Telegraph.—Own CorresponGent.) WE-J-ENGTON, this day. The N.Z. Racing Conference opened thia morning, the president (Sir George Clifford) being in the chair. After refer- . ring to racing in war time (reported in another column), the president said: — "We may congratulate ourselves upon the good work wrought by the 6tipen- . diary stewards. Much of it has passed unnoticed, and that not tlie least important. A tactful word here and there, a little quiet advice unobtrusively given, has often helped to foster among the workers of the turf nobler ideals of a noble sport, while on occasion there hafi i -been no lack of nerve and courage to check sternly attempts at malpractice. ,It may be an indication of resulting s restraint that so few appeal cases ha»e i demanded attention, ln these we have • to acknowledge with thanks the assist- ' anee of Messrs W. E. Bidwill, C. P. Skcr- : rctt, K.C., and O. S. Watkins aa judges i of appeal. "It seems advisable to remove certain 1 misconceptions by reiterating the principle upon which the control of nomen--1 clature ia based. I have never vetoed 1 proposed names merely because they are l clumsy or inappropriate. Hence many ! ill-adjusted and meaningless combinations of syllables from the names of sire. ' and dam have been permitted. The main ' restrictions, have been the exclusion (1) lof all names previously entered in the ; New Zealand Stud Book; (2) of names ' which have a personal reference to well- ' known persons unless with consent; (3) lof names of distinguished winners 1 abroad, or of any sires or mares whose ' repetition may possibly hereafter cause ; confusion in pedigrees; (4) of names ' which might be regarded as offensive by • any religious or political organisation, or as having a special bearing on the ' political controversies of the hour; (5) of names which might create misunderstanding on race cards or in descriptions ,of racing; (6) of the use of initials or _ numerals except in the case of imported , horses previously named. "You will recognise that this ie not a , fitting time for endeavouring to rectify . the inconveniences and injustices under ■ which we labour through the hasty enactments of a recent period. I may, how- , ever, mention for future attention the mistaken prohibition of publication of i totalisator investments, which defeats its • supposed obijecif. and plays into the hands of lawbreakers. Useless in itself, i it lessens the interest of racing records, and helps to conceal the policy of evildoers. "That bookmakers habitually evade • the law ia commonly known. Whether ' owners in regard to their own hones Tospcct universally the undertaking to refrain from patronising them may be doubted, though breaches of this oblige , tion must, of course, be exceptional. Those who disregard tlie specific injunction in the rule are liable to disqualification, and, as it were, take the' racing 1 lives in their hands, even if .lie selfcontempt due to a dishonourable act is an insufficient deterrent, ln this connection we may deplore the facilities which are afforded by the postal authorities for the transaction of illicit business, while the same department rigorously bare investors in legalised methods of investment from the use of its facilities. "I cannot conclude without deploring the death of Air F. H. PVne, who has been a member of this conference, and who was more widely known as the leading auctioneer of racing stock in the Dominion, his sterling integrity commanding universal confidence. We also r-gret the loss of Mr E. J. Gothard, who so often represented the district clubs of the Hawke's Bay district. "May our next meeting be free from the anxieties which must ever attend a life and death struggle with a relentless foe, and may we all be conscious at its end that we have borne our part throughout as individuals and as sportsmen, regardless of our personal intereste. This' is a spirit which the friendly contests of the turf should engender, and which should guide every loyal Briton in this Imperial emergency.