RACING PARLIAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 163, 12 July 1929, Page 9

RACING PARLIAMENT.

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. PROPOSED GAMIXG BILL. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON", this (lay. The annual meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Racing Conference was held to-day, and in the absence of the president, Sir George Clifford, tlie vicepresident. Mr. 0. S. Watkins, presided. The president's report stated that delegates would realise that it was with no little disappointment that he was compelled to apologise for his absence, which was solely because he was not permitted to travel. First' and foremost, Sir George said, he must condole with delegates on the calamity which had befallen in {he sad' death of Sir Charles Skerrett-, who was a consistent friend of the Conference, and who had reached an eminence he was highly qualified to adorn. It was gratifying to know that his great qualities had been testified to both in this country by his elevation as Chief Justice, and in the Home Country by the widespread recognition shown at his crowded funeral. The Conference had suffered amongst the ranks of colonial sportsmen by the decease of Messrs. Hugo Friedlander, R. M. Macdonald, C. Kennedy, W. Hume and W. R. Kettle.

The president urged most strongly on owners and breeders of thoroughbred horses to be most careful in registering names, and to fill in all required details on the forms supplied for the purpose by the secretary of the Conference, with all brands and birth or accidental marks. Instances were not far to seek in which attention to these provisions against fraud or results of negligence had proved signally effective in saving serious consequences. Seeing the great value of the New Zealand Stud Book to all interested in the sport of racing, it seemed incredible that any owners, breeders or clubs should fail to keep a full set of such invaluable records, or to omit subscription to its periodic issue. He appealed to breeders to return regularly and promptly each season the coverings and foalings of their brood mares to the compiler. The freedom their racecourses enjoyed from undesirable characters was largely attributable to the tact and watchfulness of their racecourse inspectors, whose appointment had throughout borne most excellent results. Much had been gained by the assistance given to local officials by the stipendiary stewards, whose continuous experience enabled them to be of very great utility in many ways.

It had long been the feeling of the Conference that persons, after having been convicted of criminal offences should not be allowed 'to work in racing stables. One object of this Conference from its very inception had been to raise the tone of the jockeys' profession to the high standard to which it naturally aspired. The Licensing Committee was determined to support the ambition of the great majority of trainers and jockeys to keep the tone of their professions at the highest possible level, especially by eliminating those whose insobriety or misconduct tended to lower it. It rested with owners and licensed trainers to inquire stric£ly info the character of persons employed by them. The president said he was strongly averse to the proposal to permit again the registration of assumed names for owners, a practice years since abandoned in Great Britain. The increasing demand for New Zealand-bred horses was shown by the fact that over 200 horses were sold or dispatched to Australia during the current season, recalling what an increasing market existed for New Zealand stock abroad, though the Government did not encourage breeding as other Governments did.

If the Government should, during the coming session, introduce the longdesired Gaming Amendment Bill they would have deserved the gratitude of the conference, as well as of the important body of sportsmen who did so much to keep alive the vigour of the nation. That was no new note to strike, and he could not do better than quote from previous reports those arguments which still forcibly support their views: —

"We look for the removal of the wholly absurd prohibition of the publication of dividends, which serves 310 good purpose and assists the law-break-ing bookmaker. Why should the public and the newspapers be shut off from news which law-breakers circulate freely among themselves and to their confederates? We desire to remit investments 011 the totalizator to clubs 011 race days. Telegraph facilities, are given to lawbreakers. Why not to law-abiding citizens 5" It should not be forgotten that the totalisator could not tempt by giving credit, could not lay contracted odds, and could not refuse commissions, but gave equal fair play to all. The law at present debarred the bookmaker from following his trade; it was illogical to leave open to him the practical monopoly of it beyond the precincts of the racecourse. With provision for telegraphing investments 011 the totalisator to secretaries of racing clubs, the investor would escape from the limited prices and barred horses of the bookmakers, who contributed 110 revenue to the State or to racing. Restrictions which fostered illegal betting and created disrespect for the law and its administration were highly undesirable and should be repealed. The amount of the various taxes paid during the present and previous seasons are as herein set out: — 1927-28. 102S-20. £ s. d. £ s. d. Totalisator tax (2* per cent) 140,541 10 1 124,206 15 0 Dividend tax (5 per cent).. 233,452 10 3 223,731 2 1 Stakes tax (5 per cent) .... 21,003 0 0 19,709 0 Amusement tax 13,940 2 7 12,503 10 0 Receipts tax (2A per cent) .... 1.171 G 0 repealed in lf-7 I Land tax 2,540 17 S 2,784 30 01 Income tax on .J interest .... — 100 10 * J £433,346 0 7 £;!53.291 3 7 Local rates .... £10.077 1 0 ±9,1-:>7 7 4 A general revision of the system of racing taxation was urgently requiied. In some cases so far from the tax being based on the income of the individual, 1 was actuallv levied on a debit balance. This obviouslv tended ultimately to dr\ up the fountain of supply. jhe . v > d again represented their case to the Gov - ernment^and _ looked tor the lelicf so "'in the intereTts' of the harassed horseowners, the public which desired a days recreation at a reasonable fare, and the Railway Department itself, they appealed for the reinstatement of the tormer concession of a single fare, and the return journey free for racehorses, and that the fares bv race trains ought to be not o'reater than the usual excursion rate. The railway charges were driving horseowners to use properly equipped motor lorries for the transport of their jhoaaaesr

and this method was meeting with great and increasing favour. The argument of the Department's officials in the past had been that racehorse traffic was by no means a remunerative proposition to the railways. This statement was doubted, inasmuch as racehorse traffic was vital to a very profitable consequential traffic, a fact which the railway returns must verify. It was submitted that the Railway "Department's revenue from people travelling by rail to race meetings was so profitable that it was only fair and businesslike to set off against that revenue the railway carriage of racehorses. If liorse-owners were not given every inducement to send their horses by rail 'to the various race meetings, and thereby make the meetings attractive, the Department's revenue, and that of the clubs and the Government, must suffer accordingly.