FUTURE OF RACING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 166, 16 July 1931, Page 5

FUTURE OF RACING.

CAUSING GRAVE CONCERN.

DIFFICULT AND EXACTING STAGE. AMALGAMATION OF CLUBS. "Racing in New Zealand is passing through a most difficult and exacting stage. The sport is facing a period of acute depression, engendered by worldwide economic conditions, and the position generally is a cause for grave concern," remarked the president of the New Zealand Racing Conference, Mr. O. S. Watkins, at the annual meeting at Wellington to-day. The president went on to say that a serious fall in the revenue derived from the totalisator and other sources had been aggravated by the imposition, during the year, of a further increase of 2J per cent oil totalisator investments, and by a substantial increase in the amusement tax. The strain of taxation upon the resources of clubs was almost unbearable, and there were definite indications that the point of exhaustion had been reached. When times were more prosperous, many clubs, trusting that "the Golden Era" would continue, were encouraged to incur expenditure in improvements, and in the general equipment of their courses, without possessing the necessary capital funds to meet the cost. Financial assistance was obtained in many instances by means of guarantees. Unfortunately, falling revenue and adverse circumstances generally had placed some clubs in an embarrassing position, and guarantors were being called upon to meet their obligations. He feared many clubs would find it difficult to carry on, and could only impress upon them the absolute necessity of practising the most rigid economy in every possible direction. With true sporting spirit many of the metropolitan and larger clubs had allowed necessitous clubs to race on their courses. It was obvious, however, that this assistance would afford but temporary relief.' He was firmly of opinion that unless clubs could rely wholly upon their own resources and local. support, their continued existence was not only not warranted, but a possible source of danger to racing generally.

In 'view of the circumstances disclosed by the operations of the past year, Mr. Watkins said, he was emboldened, at this juncture, to offer a suggestion which appealed to him as having a distinct possibility of saving the position. It was that clubs racing in close proximity to each other, whose financial position rendered it necessary to seek outside aid, should amalgamate. Such ail arrangement would, he considered, have the following beneficial results: — (a) A material reduction of overhead expenses. (b) Instead of small isolated meetings of purely local interest, two or three meetings with programmes attractive, not only to local owners and racegoers, but to visitors as well. (c) A greater possibility of more suitable racing dates. (d) Increased membership of the amalgamated clubs, and greater interest in the sport. Ho desired to make it quite clear that he was not suggesting a loss of racing days, and, further, that he was not attempting to dictate to clubs on a matter which he conceived was purely a domestic concern, but- he did suggest that the matter was one the possibilities of which each metropolitan district committee might well investigate.