ASSUMED NAMES

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 13

ASSUMED NAMES

REMIT NARROWLY OUTED

There was not much discussion at the meeting of the Racing Conference last week on the Auckland Racing Club's remit to permit owners to use assumed names.

Dr. A. McGregor .Grant, in moving the remit, said he could find no good reason why assumed names should hot be permitted. For' various reasons a man.might not wish it to be public property that he was an owner. Under present conditions it was easy to be interested in a partnership without thn fact being disclosed.

Mr. J. H. Perrett opposed the remit. He recalled the views on this subject of the late Sir George Clifford, who considered that the man who had not the courage to race m Ins own name should hot race horses at all. They •were told that men in positions of trust did not care to race horses in then* own names, but the conference was asked to give permission to these men to shelter behind assumed names, and thus deceive those employing them. The sport of racing in New Zealand was clean now, and this was very much because ownership was open and above board. He referred to the fact that the abolition of assumed names in New Zealand was agreed to about the same time as the English Jockey Club took similar action.

Mr. D. M. Findlay could see no reason for refusing to allow assumed names. The racing authorities.knew all about the man, and the only point was a little less general publicity. He could find no abuses that existed as a result of assumed names.

Mr. L. C. Hazlett supported the remit, and in doing so mentioned that the late Mr; G. G. Stead, one of the leading owners in New Zealand for many years, raced for some years under an assumed name. The voting was 33 for the remit and 14 against. The remit was therefore lost, as it did not secure the necessary three-fourths majority;