FACILITIES AT ADDINGTON

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21938, 12 November 1936, Page 12

FACILITIES AT ADDINGTON

complaint to minister totalisator arrangements CRITICISED A complaint that inadequate provision was made for the public at the Addington totalisator was placed yesterday before the Hon. W* • Parry, who, as Minister for Internal Affairs, controls the issue of totalisator permits. A deputation of several patrons of the New Zealand Metropolitan Club’s meeting on Tues-

day stated to the Minister that it was impossible on that afternoon for the clerks to complete the wont that is ordinarily done between the races, and that a number of people were unable until late in the day to collect their dividends. This, it was emphasised, was a result of inadequate facilities. In his reply, the Minister spdke of the need for up-to-date conveniences, and said he thought that matters would be properly adjusted at future meetings at Addington. ... The spokesman of the deputation said the public were aware that the Metropolitan Trotting Club had pronosals for the erection of a modern totalisator house. Nevertheless m Grand National week, when there were thousands of visitors to Christchurch augmenting the local crowds mostly on holiday and attending m large numbers the racing and trotting courses, better facilities should have been made for the people who wished to bet this week on the totalisator. “No Late-Dividend Windows” “Both the racing and trotting meetings in Christchurch are popular events,” continued the speaker, “and we do not wish in our representations to decry the trotting authorities in the control of their meetings, but we would urge you to impress on the club the meed for making arrangements so that in the future people could get their dividends during the interval between races. In our opinion a lot of the trouble was caused because there were no late-dividend windows. At the meeting a race was started before the people could collect tncir dividends on the previous race. We feel that if you could represent the inconvenience and disappointment caused us bettors the trotting club would make amends.” Minister’s Reply Mr Parry said that the substance of the deputation’s representations had already been made to the trotting authorities by the Government inspector of totalisators who had been present at the meeting. ‘‘A very large attendance at the meeting on Tuesday that was not expected no doubt taxed the totalisator resources of the club,” the Minister said. “The meeting otherwise was very well conducted. I understand that members of the club admitted that even the additional arrangements and extra staff provided had failed to give the facilities to the public hoped for. There were, they said, proposals for a new totalisator house with modern equipment, and it was felt that when effect was given to those proposals there would be no cause for complaint. “I like to see up-to-date conveniences made at any sports meeting where the public gather in large numbers, and it is due to the public that their wishes be met. From my enquiries I am hopeful that matters will be properly adjusted so as to ensure at future meetings at Addington all that is desired. The Department of Internal Affairs does not, of course, control the building equipment of clubs—that is a matter tor the clubs themselves to attend to—but an official of the department is at all totalisator meetings to see that the totalisator is conducted in accordance with the law.”