The Royal Race Meeting.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18917, 4 February 1927, Page 10

The Royal Race Meeting.

It is very satisfactory that the difficulty over the race meet in:; t" !>e held during the visit of the Duke and Duchess <.>t York has been amicably settled. When we last referred t<> the matter it appeared to us that the Canterbury Jockey Club had the prior j claim, and we cannot see how anyone, [on the facts then available, could have come to any other rowlusioti. All I lie facts were not available then, owing in part to the vacillation of tin: Internal Affairs Department, which was primarily responsible lor the confusion, and in part also to the neglect of the Reception Committee to make public all its negotiations. The New Brighton Trotting Club, it seems, did not contemplate offering its meeting as part of the entertainment of the Royal visitors until after the Minister for Internal Affairs had intimated that the Jockey Club could not have a license for the transferred date of its meeting. The Trotting Club then made its proposal to the Reception Committee, and this was favourably received. In the meantime the Minister had reversed his previous decision regarding tbe Jockey Club. When these facts were considered at a conference of representatives of the Clubs on Wednesday, the Jockey Club decided that it should give way to the Trotting Club, and the conference ended with a good understanding and friendly relations. Everyone now will wish the Trotting Club every success with its meeting. But one may hope that the incident may have the result of inducing the Internal Affairs Department to manage its own internal affairs more intelligently.