THE WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 69, 18 September 1902, Page 4

THE WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

There are one op two features connected with tho recent annual meeting of the Wellington Racing Club which are worthy of attention. Tho sporting instincts of the British rnco form a striking part of the characteristics of a. very large section of those- triio have mado these Australasian offshoots of the Motherland their home. Indeed, so large a proportion of the population, inlevsst themselves actively in various forms of sport that neither they nor their methods of recreation can afford to be ignored as matters of public concern affecting in a very material wuy for good or ill tho social life of the community. Horse-racing is oae of the oldest and most popular of the branches of sport wherever people of the Briti>h race congregate, and in this 0010113' for some years past it has made Yiu-fc strides in popular ftivow. Even those who cavil at it for the attendant evil of gambling wJticl) travels in its train c;jimot gainsay thu-t its management liivs for tW most part fallen into good lmntU. The gentlemen at the head of the turf in New Zealand at the present time 'ire universally respected in whatever sphere of public or private life they may be called on to play a part. In Wellington the local Racing Club has had a somewhat chequered career. It hus nUyu-ya had to contend against n drawback of nature in the form of the Hutt river, winch makes access to its course- inconvenient fiul unpleasant, and which must militate against its popularity with tho public. Until that difficulty is overcome, ay at least minimised, the club can nevw expect- to witness huch gatherings at ii* gioiiuds hn are to be seen at the incing tracks at Elierslie and Kiccnrton. At the recent business meeting of the club Mr. T. K. Macdonald raised tho question of constructing railway bridges over the DTutt river to convey patrons of the institution light on to tho ground, mid stnt^d that a sum of £7000 would be sufficient to carry out this work. Mr. Macdonald possibly wns over-sanguino in making this estimate, but there is little doubt tha-t the ex-p.-.nditiuv of any stun within reasonable roach of that amount in the way mentioned would yield a very handsomo return from tho increased patronage it would ensure-, and should amply cover the crust of interest as well as provide for a sinking fund to extinguish the debt in tho course of a few years. Before nnj expenditure of the kind can be legitimately incurred, however, a very im« portant point has to be definitely settled. The club has fought the bookmaker. 1 ?, and been worsted in the contest in the colony's Law Courts. Under the old lease on which the club held tho rflicoccurso the bookmakers found themselves Jegu-lly entitled to ply their cnlling then* despite the efforts of the club to prevent them. The result has been that many hundreds of pounds of revenue hat 5 . been diverted from the coffers of tho club into the bags of the. bookmakers. This, no doubt, has seriously affected the finances of tho club during tho past year, and in a measure accounts for the debit recorded on tho ba .mce-oheet resented .to members at

the (innuii.l meeting. The club has now seemed a new lease, ■uliieh the highest legal ad vice piocuiablc in the colony hau declined k> be so finmed as to enable tho holders to cxciude bookmakers from their grounds. Upon the bucccss of the stewards mi this respect depends to considerable extent tifoe r!ub's iuturo rate of piogicKs; and the result of the looming struggle on tho question will no doubt uil'uut tho 'auggebtod budging of the Hutl river. Failing recognition of tho right to debar bookmakers, and provided the club does not see its .way to piocuie a botter means of access to Iho ground, it Mill not be surprising to witness a revival of the agitation tfc> bceiue a new courso to which access will bo easy, and over ■which the club will exercise absolute control. There was v tendency on the part of some members at the annual meeting to criticise very keenly tbe work- of the officers of the club during the past year, and vn some cases the management was condemned. Giilicism is a healthy sign of vitality in any public or seini-puWic body, and should bo welcomed as such, pspe*inlVr when those who adopt the role of fault-finding advance reasons for their complaints and make suggestions for improvement. Some of tbe complain-ts made against the managemeDt on the occasion referred to appeared to be based on fair grounds, and should not pass unheeded. The need for viore attention being paid to the training tracks, for instance, is a grievance of long Rtanding. The criticism of the financial position of the club was a little unreasonable in view of the bad fortune experienced in the matter of wenthei and through the interference of the bookmakers. On the whole, the club can look forward to the future with some confidence. Its management is in energetic hands ; there has been a further infusion of new Wood ; and the plain speaking indulged in at the annual meeting shouftl put all on their mettle. There is ono tiling which, the officers of the dub sliowM bear in mind. It has happened that a substantial proportion of tke gentlemen elected have interests in eemmon owtoide of Iho affairs of the club. It behoves them, therefore, to lw particularly carefnl to leave no loophole for crittcfm of their actions on bhe ground tha-t tiwy have allowfd those interests in a»y way to hamper their duty to the club. On occasions, tfaeir position might become a delic«te one, and it is well that this blichiM be fully appreciated in order to avoid any possibility of future unpleasantness. We believe that all are 0-nxkms to improve the club's position and make its standing among the racing bodies of the colony a still higher one 1-han that which it now occupies. Given a fair share of fortune's smiles, their efforts should not go unrewarded.