Small clubs essential, says Mr Robertshaw

Press, 10 July 1985, Page 41

Small clubs essential, says Mr Robertshaw

PA Greymouth Harm would come from centralising small, but successful South Island clubs at less profitable venues, according to the president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, Mr F. D. Robertshaw. In his report to the conference’s annual general meeting in Greymouth, Mr Robertshaw said he was concerned by the Racing Authority’s bid to have the greatest share of available funds directed to centralised tracks. The authority considers such a move essential in industry terms / “As far as trotting is concerned, the small clubs in the South Island are essential. They are the foundation of trotting’s success in that island,” he said. “Any attempt to centralise some of the small successful courses on to less successful clubs by indirect means would be contrary to the interests of trotting as a whole as endangering the interest and enthusiasm of

the community they serve,” said Mr Robertshaw. It was for this reason that the executive opposed the proposal to institute a twotier stake subsidy for CO to C 3 and C 4 races, he said. “Most of the clubs racing on ungraded courses are not too concerned that they will not be eligible for amenities funds as they have received little or nothing to date and have relied on their own resources,” he said. However, Mr Robertshaw said, the lesser stakes subsidy was a “worry” and in practice would cause serious anomalies between clubs. “A minor club racing on a graded track receives more than an independent club of importance to the trotting industry which races on its own ungraded course it operates with a racing club,” he said. The submissions of the conference were rejected on the grounds that the twotier system was essential to the whole thrust of the $

proposals, said Mr Robertshaw “I believe it is an error to tie the stakes subsidy into the grading of courses for amenity purposes. If there has to be a two-tier system and we do not agree, the clubs should be graded,” he said. Commenting on the Racing Authority’s view that there should be a redistribution of licences, Mr Robertshaw said it would be difficult to adopt such a Erogramme with only 196 cences for trotting against .. 325 for galloping “The Auckland Trotting Club has demonstrated its ability to handle more and it is a matter of concern that the authority is transferring licences for our sister code into the lucrative Auckland area while trotting is at a standstill because of the failure to grant further licences and inability to transfer other licences,” he said. “It is my firm belief that if there are too many

licences over all, the authority must consider transfers between codes in the interests of the total industry,” he said. Another matter of concern to some clubs was the requirement that the number of group classified feature races be reduced to 3 per cent of the total races to qualify for the feature subsidies. The sub-commit-tee dealing with this has an “unenviable and difficult task”, Mr Robertshaw said. “When the full executive considered the list it felt constrained to accept it in full having regard to the fact that to include any races recommended for deletion meant that other races on the classification list had to be dropped. “It is realised that some clubs are most disappointed but it had to be done and they should realise that there are other subsidies available including sponsorship and subsidies on nonfeature age and sex restricted races,” he said. T