ROLE OF SMALL CLUBS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27470, 2 October 1954, Page 4

ROLE OF SMALL CLUBS

GREYMOUTH PRESIDENT’S

VIEWS (From Our Own Reporter) a GREYMOUTH, October 1 Although small clubs such as the Grevmou? 1 J 2?W. Club had to rely on a sha?e of the Totalisator Agency Board profitS xor continued existence, acceptance of the view that only dubs able to exSt on their own profits should remain active mean centralisation and a blow to pacing as a whole, said the president of the Grey mouth Jockey Club (Mr J W S 5b n to3ay at tHe annUal the Oi toe New ZeaiaSS He regretted having to paint a dismal There 6 hSrt year ’ s , operations, he said. There had been a loss of about £7OO though, if depredation was not taken into’ account, it would be only £3BO. From a t^ ta l,l u £s? ver J ° f £90,000 (or an aveSel a day) in the previous year totalisator figures had dropped to £49 ood (or an average of £13,000 a day) for- a five-day racing period in the last veer ba li_ showed the disastrous effect bad weather could have on a small dub such as Greymouth. .In November, he said £9soo—one of the smallest totals for y ears ““ h ad been handled. Later attendances had been far from satisfactory- be ® a use of the weather. sansfac Though the New Year meetings used to had noAeen i? e izj ac ® Patrons, went elsewhere tor Where « formerly, there were no opposition meetings at that time ex®®P* day at Oamaru, there wSe Otago. ClrCUitS ln Soutb Canterbury and

Dependent on Canterbury r ®ymouth Club was dependent on ?ra^mfr/ r 2^?> C f nterbUry stables - but most cuit toe southern cirleTat n home d afford to b « ys * • , Soutb ern dubs, too, could anord to offer igger stakes. Our club, not unlike many in New ?®^ a H?- fin ds it impossible to provide amenities for racing patrons out of its the e TA’B an V«lt< l efessa j7 look to X he r said lstance ' We hope to unJbl?ts, ht n^, i ? 1 UgSested ..? h at those clubs unaoie to provide amenities out of their revenue should waive their dates in favour of clubs that can. That would mean thnt r +iv Satlon 'i.f I l d no one w °uld suggest wo . uld benefit racing. People in isolated centres should not Be presented lo r Sitie e sT ylng the SP ° rt ln Jir own Some considered that the T.A.B was SU’ree’S oTS S an increased profit each year No onp referrpd to a recommendation of the Greymouth Trotting Club that there should be a change In the svstSm T.A.B. profits, by giving a courses soFeiv^ni 1 clubs malntalrflng solely lor their own use, in ore“ courses Thi?'h?, a ri u hlch jointly controlled r?,7b^ eS ' 00? ls had heen approved by many Si^..a ThCTe were som e opposing the proposed measure, he said. These clubs tiOT * to® Proposed method ot distrffiuI? It were adopted ° f racing as a whole