RACING PERMITS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3127, 4 July 1917, Page 6

RACING PERMITS

THE HOROWHENUA GRIEVANCE MINISTER APPROACHED Complaint against the taking away of tho one-day permit held up till now by the liorowheuua Racing Club was made by a deputation representing tho club, the A. and P. Association, and Levitt Borough, which waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell) yestordav. The deputation was introduced by Mr. W. H. Field, M.P. Tho request of the club was that the permit should be restored. .It .was urged that. Levin had lost its one day, while k place not nearly so big, Otaki, had bden allowed to keep three out of four days.The A. and P. Association was interested because the same ground is used for both races and show, and the two bodies combined hope to be able to buy the ground under a contract of lease and purchase, the option under which expires at the end of two years. If the .racing club cannot operate, the fear is that this purchase will be impossible. ■ The Minister, replying, said that ha was afraid he could hold out very.little hope that the request would be gi\anted. A strong feeling had arisen throughout the country, against the continuance of racing and race,betting in war' time, and : tho Government had'at length decided to' reduce the number of permits'" to be issued by one-third. In the past it had: been the custom for the-'Government to' accept the recommendations of tho R-acing and Trotting Conferences as to the clubs to receive the permits, and when this proposed curta.ilmont was under consideration the Government, requested the conferences to make recommendations. He wished to say quita clearly that in his opinion country meek ings were largely district picnics, and that it was'not against these meetings that public feeling had been aroused. The Racing and Trotting Conference had made recommendations, and up till now the responsibility for what had • been, dono was upon the conference. It would be for. Cabinet to sar whether the recommendations should be adopted, and very, soon the matter would come before Cabinet. . It would- be difficult for tho Government to step in and declare that the conference had done something wrong, and to. put the matter right by restoring a day to one club and'taking one from another. Personally- he sympathised very mnch with the country clubs. Some of the biggest racing clubs in this country had cut down their racing days bv only one-fifth, and were taking advantage of the falling out of a hunt club or some small club in order to avoid reduc- - ing their own days by one-third. Personally ho was not satisfied with this. He did not think the club need be alarmed about the possibility of losing | the ground. Tho arrangement was that the clubs' continuing to race would have to defray liabilities of those not racing, and in this way the finances .of the Horowhenua Club should be. kept safe. I He thought they were unduly pessiniistio; about this.