BOYCOTT OF TROTS MOVE

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33191, 3 April 1973, Page 1

BOYCOTT OF TROTS MOVE

At least 590 regular racegoers will boycott the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington Raceway this Saturday, say the organisers of a “pledge petition” who hone to have at least 1000 trotting fans stay at home instead of going to the meeting. The petition organisers are protesting against the raising of the admission charges to the racecourse from 70c to $l, and say they collected 590 signatures at T.A.B. offices in Christchurch on Saturday. Each of the persons who signed the petition pledged to boycott next Saturday’s meeting, Mr J. Hughes, the instigator of the petition, said last evening. Since he began the peti-

tion, he had been joined by 10 others to help distribute the forms and ask people to stay away, he said.

“If 1000 stay away, the club stands to lose about $10,000; if that 1000 go and pay the increased admission the club will get an extra $3OO from the increase in admission charges,” said Mr Hughes. The increase in charges was announced yesterday by the president of the Metropolitan club (Mr G. W. Blaxall) who said that the three clubs which used the course would charge the new admission. The first indication of the increases was in an advertisement in a newspaper on Saturday.

INCREASING COSTS The secretary-manager of the raceway (Mr D. C. Parker) said yesterday that increasing costs had forced the increase in admission fees.

Increases in membership subscription would have to be dealt with by a notice of motion at the annual meeting of the clubs, concerned, and there had been no notification of such action, he said. Mr Blaxall said last evening that he was indignant to hear a report that the price of racebooks had been raised 50 per cent “The question of increasing the price of racebooks has never been discussed,” he said.