RACING Conferences and Govt to meet next week

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32661, 17 July 1971, Page 8

RACING Conferences and Govt to meet next week

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON.

In an attempt to retain administrative control, representatives of the racing and trotting conferences will make formal submissions at a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath) and a caucus subcommittee in Wellington next Tuesday.

Mr R. A. Whyte, president of the Racing Conference, disclosed this when presenting his address to delegates at the annual meeting in Wellington yesterday.

and districts concerned and Inquiry into racing must be the executive committee de- regarded as not being too uncided that the incoming pre- satisfactory, but personally sident and vice-president l am deeply concerned with should do so as soon as pos- some of the recommendasible.” tions.” It was particularly disapspecial meeting pointing that the conference’s Mr Whyte said that while claim for a reduction in" the any change to the present dis- statutory deduction from the tricts would not normally be totalisator, and for a reappordealt with until the annual tionment of the deduction conference next year there between the Government and was a strong possibility that, clubs, did not receive favourbecause of other important able recognition, matters, it might be necessary “This of course would have ! to call a special meeting of resulted in greater dividends the conference during the sea- to the public and increased ; son. “If such a meeting does income to clubs, all of which i take place I strongly recom- are keenly aware that the i mend that amending the rules present level of stake money | relating to districts or dis- they are able to provide is i trict boundaries be placed be- hopelessly inadequate in re- I fore that meeting,” he said, gard to the present-day costs < “On the whole the report to owners,” said Mr Whyte, i of the Royal Commission of It was of some comfort, ;

however, to learn that the commission did recommend that the Government give up a half per cent of its totalisator duty for the purpose of establishing a stakes subsidy fund and the conference looked forward to early implementation of this proposal. “The Government recently decided on the matters that are to be incorporated in a racing bill that it intends to place before Parliament this session,” said Mr Whyte. “Just what matters are to be comprised in the bill we are not aware, but what we do know is that if the proposed legislation is enacted, it will change substantially the system of administration on which racing was founded and has progressed over the years.”

Mr Whyte said it was hoped that this time the conferences would make some real progress. He then detailed the submissions the conference would place before the meeting. They are:—

Complete opposition to the introduction of direct Government interference tn the administration of racing. Such would appear to be the case with the present proposed personnel for the national racing authority. Statutory recognition of the two codes to enable conference administration to carry effectively the major recommendations of the Royal commisison of inquiry and to enable policy decisions to be made covering the entire spectrum of racing matters.

The conference suggested the composition of any national racing authority should be an independent chairman, two persons nominated by racing, two by trotting, and a person representing the Internal Affairs Department. Such a body’s powers be limited to formulating the basis of distribution of the J per cent levy fund and the stakes subsidy fund. The granting of totalistator licences on the recommendation of the two conferences, the allocation of any additional racing permits, and adjudicating on any matter referred to it. “No purpose” “As you are aware the only matter on which the present representatives of the Totalisator Agency Board have consistently disagreed concerns the distribution of the board’s

profits,” said Mr Whyte. “With this function transferred to a national racing authority is no purpose whatsoever in changing the board’s present constitution.

“However, the conferences strongly submit the board should retain its right to decide the basis of profit distribution and there should be an independent chairman, appointed bv the Minister of Internal Affaire after a joint

recommendation of three nominees by two conferences. “Those are our proposals. They are clear and not at all difficult to grasp. Now we are informed that we will have the opportunity to talk within Government of these and I hope they are acceptable and that their value is understood by the Government. Mr Whyte said that the commission had also made other recommendations and suggestions, which if adopted would not require legislative authority but could be implemented by the conference. “These have already been considered by the executive committee and some are to be further investigated,” he said. Referring to the view expressed by the commission that the conference give early consideration to the question of creating new metropolitan districts or changing the nresent boundaries, Mr Whyte said this had been discussed by the committee and it was initially comtemplated that a proposal to amend the bounaries of some districts be placed on the order paper for this conference. “However, it was thought that the proposals should first be discussed with the clubs