RACING PERMITS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15219, 5 March 1915, Page 4

RACING PERMITS.

POSITION OF SPOETS CLUBS

DEFINED.

REPUTATION TO THE HON. F. H

D. BELL.

A deputation from the Papanui Sports Ciub waited upon tfae Hon. F. H. D. Bel], Minister of Internal Affairs, yesterday, with a. request t-ltar. a. permit might be granted to allow three trotting events to be included in tho programme of a sports gathering to bo held shortly at Papanui, tho proceeds to go to the Belgium Fund.

The deputation was introduced by Mr Geo. Witty, M.P., who isaid that trotting events had previously been put on at tho sports by permission, but lately permission had been refused.

I In reply to Mr Bell, Mr Witty said I that for *tho last two years previous to laci year no permit was applied for. Mr I*\ Sisson haid tho snorts meeting was to be held in aid of tho Belgium Fund. Last year trottine events .were included, and* nothing was hoard then by way of objection. Tho comniitteo consequently were burprised. to find that a permit for this year was refused. The Trotting Association had approved of the- programme. Mr Bell eaid t-hero was no objection whatever to tho committee..

Mr Sisson ■'■•'rid that, without tho jtrote it. was unlikely that there would ibo any surplus. Mr Bell, in reply, said there was nothing whatever against the Papauui Sporty Qub oi- tho committee , . Parliament, in ite wisdom, passed the Act of 1900, which made it noeessary that there should be a license from tho Minister beforo any race meeting could be held. That was quito-apart from tho other Act, which related to totalisator licenses. Tho object was to limit and reduce the raco meetings throughout tho country, as tho other Act provided for the reduction of totalisator meetings. His predecessor in oißco some time after tho passing of tho Act of 1909 came to the conclusion it was not in accordance- with the intention of tho Act to grant licenses for subsidiary racing at sports meetings, aud the rule was laid down that they should bo refused, and they wero refused accordingly. There was a. great (number of reasons given in addition to tho reason of tho intention of tho Act of 1901). He did not want to go into those reasons because the deputation would proceed to prove that in each of those matters tho Papanui Club was not affected. The rule laid down was a general rule which avoided the necessity of making enquiries in the case of each separate society. When he took oflice he thought tho rule which, his predecessors had established , was not one that ought to bo strictly adhered to, and ho began to make, exceptions. The result was that requests came in from all over tho country. Sometimes it was fairly obvious that tho move was ono for tho local bookmaker, and ho came to tho conclusion he had made a mistake, aud that his predecessors wero right that it wae bettor to lay down tho rulo that the raco meetings under the Act of 1909 ehould bo real raco meetings aud that , the privilege of the Act should not bo extended to sports meetings. That was tho ro&son why Pananui had been refused. They wero not refused for any reason affecting the committee or the grounds. Ho would, however, reconsider the case of Papanui, seeing that the whole of tho proceeds from tho meeting wero to go to the Belgium Fund. He did not know that that was a good reasonj but ho would deal with the matter separately from tho rulo. Personally he did not look upon racing with the same horror as Mr Witty and tho mombers of the preceding Government, but ho had to administer tho law as he found it, ami ho could not deny that Mr Ruesell and those who preceded him were right in 6aying the intention of the Act of 1909 was to reduce racing, and it was idle to talk of reducing racing if email meetings were allowed all over the country. Jf he gave a permit to Papanui ho would have, to do it in other cases where the circumstances wore the same, for Papanui would have to stand on the same footing as other clubs. Mr Witty said tho intention of the Act was to limit the totalisator, not race meetings. , Mr Beil said the 1909 Act had nothing to do with tho totalisator. Mr "Witty said there was eomo conflict regarding the Halswell permit, but there was no such conflict, in the present case, where all parties were agreed. It was proposed to hold the mcetinc on March 13th.

Mr 801 l said he would let the club know to-morrow. Tho only reason why he would give permission was on account, of the surplus going to tho Belgium Fund.