Trotting critical of Authority on permits

Press, 25 September 1980, Page 24

Trotting critical of Authority on permits

■ The executive of the ‘Trotting Conference has; taken strong exception toj the decision of the Racing! Authority not to grant any additional permits before the 1982-83 season at the earliest.

In a statement issued in Christchurch yesterday the conference says that the authority asked in June of last year for an indication regarding the number of totalisator licences that should be allocated to trotting in 1981-82. A total of 34 clubs had asked for 55 additional racing dates to be allocated. Consistent with its policy of a planned expansion of permits in keeping with prevailing economic conditions and other relevant factors, the executive of the conference had recommended that the number of licences be increased by 15 to 219. In doing so it was mindful that an additional 12 licences would be operating in the current season.

When advising the conference that it was not prepared to recommend any additional licences for 198182. the authority suggested that as 44 new licences would be in use this season, and a number of special permits would be issued, it did

not believe that a further increase was warranted.

Trotting had received only--12 of the 44 new licences, and only one of the special licences, said the statement.

The letter from the authority was considered at I the September meeting of> the executive, and strong dissatisfaction was expressed at the attitude expressed, particularly in view of the authority’s decision to recommend to, the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Highet) that 30 of the on-course-only permits used for greyhounds be extended to full totalisator licences. The executive felt that the expansion of greyhound racing was being developed to the detriment of trotting. A letter of protest had been sent to the chairman of the authority (Mr J. A. L. Bennett), and the conference had subsequently been advised that the authority was not prepared to reopen the matter. This is the second time in recent years that the executive has been in conflict with the authority over new permits. On the last occasion the conference sought 20 additional permits, but only 12, being used for the first time this season, were granted. :

i There has been no public comment from the Racing Conference or the Greyhound Association, who presumably accept the authority’s decision. “As far as trotting is concerned, the decision is most unacceptable. The authority is ignoring one of the most important recommendations of the Royal Commission, which was responsible for the establishmen’t of the authority itself. This recommendation was that the imbalance of permits between galloping and trotting at the time the commission sat should not be continued in future,” says the statement. “The Racing Conference had never accepted that viewpoint and had sought constantly to maintain its two-to-one advantage.

“The executive was amazed that a supposedly impartial body, such as the authority, seemed determined to preserve the historical status quo to the detriment of trotting. “The present stop-go policy on additional permits was making an ordered and responsible expansion of trotting into all areas of New Zealand quite impossible to plan,” concludes the statement.