TROTTING PERMITS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 February 1925, Page 8

TROTTING PERMITS.

HAW HU A GLUTS APPLICATION.

MIN 1 ST’EI i N ON-CiOIMMI ILA L.

“You will gel a good run lor your money, saiu uie lion. iv. E. Jitmam (Minister tor internal An airs), wiien waiteu oil last, evening by officials of ilie .rtawei'a. a'rotting Glut! relative to trie granting ui an permit for this district. Air. ,j. K. Corrigan, M.P., introduced tlie deputation, whom lie said were out to persuade the Minister oi tne eianiki of tiawera tor an extra permit. Personally he thought that if any chib in New Zealand was entitled to ian extra day's trotting it was the Hiawera club, which was. one of the best run in. the country. Taranaki had only one day’s trotting dining the whole of the year, and although Tiawera sportsmen realised that New Plymouth was waiting for a permit—and the Hawera people thought, they were entitled to one—yet this district was in the position of being entitled to another day, especially in view of the fact that it was so closely settled.’, Continuing, Mr. Corrigan drew attention to the fact that trotting was recognised to he the poor man’s sport, and that in Taranaki there were numbers of “small men” who would come out once or twice a. year. He hoped that- the Minister would favourably consider the granting of an extha. permit. Mr. B. MrOartliy. president of the Hawera Trotting Club, extended to the Minister a hearty welcome, stating that sportsmen in the district appreciated the really live interest lie was taking in. the allocation of the permts. Proceeding, Mr. McCarthy said he did not mean to speak at length, but he hoped that the Minister would not gauge the sincerity of the application by <its brevity. “You will have a. better chance if you cut it .short,’’ was the Minister’s jocular comment. Continuing, Mr. McCarthy said that Hawera had been recommended by the racing commission for ait extra d : ay, and he took it that the Minister would be able to avail himself of all the statistical information that had been placed before the commission. As far as the course itself was concerned ho had seen that during the afternoon, and so he knew what the appointments were like. In the interests of the sporting community generally they had deemed it wise to concentrate on. the one ground and so- save heavy capital expenditure, and he could say that the Trotting Club had ouite a satisfactory arrangement with the EPmont TTacing Club. Trotting was becoming increasingly popular in the district, the tote returns increasing from £4553 in the first year to over £23.000. The club’s stakes now amounted to over £2OOO, and if the extra permit were granted thev would be approximately doubled. The one day’s trots at Hawera at present served ell the district between Wanganui and New Plymouth. In. conclusion. Mr. McCarthy said lie honed that the Minister would give the club’s application favourable consideration, recognising that this was a country club, that- the district was closely settled, and thi'-’t the management of the club was in, the hands of those who were out to keep the .sport clean and conduct it for the benefit of the public generally. ,

The Minister, in reply, thanked Mr. McCarthy for his kindly welcome, and expressed surprise at the growth of the town during the past twelve or fourteen years. Ais regards the permits, lie said that- the unfortunate part oi it was that there were some 50 applications and only 19 permits to be ••Hotted. However, the Hawera Club's ase would have as much consideration as if they had talked until the next morning. It had been an vve-upener to him to see the controlled by some clubs. Clubs that lie had thought weie poor lie had found progressive, and others that he had thought were progressive he had found to lie the reverse. The Hawera Club’s application would receive due consideration,- and if it were possible for the extra permit to be granted, it would he grantee, and if it were not they would have to wait a little longer. He would see what could be done.

Proceeding, Mr. Bollard said lie haci been told in one place he Iliad visited that trotting ought to be cut out, as it was not worth bothering about. But lie was not of that opinion. He considered that trotting should have its fair r.hare. although he himself was more a follower of the g’-allops. It had been proved to him down south pretty conclusively that trotting was keeping racing going in some places. There were racing clubs which put a couple of trotting events on their programmes, and whe e they got five or six entries.- for their galloping events they got 124 for their trots.

“One of the things 1 am out to do,’ said Mr. Bollard, “is to help the country clubs. They are the ones 1 want to see progress.’’ He had got Mr. Massey’s consent to draft a clause to he introduced next session providing for the Government taking only I 3 pei cent. of the first £20,000 invested on the machine and handing the club'beck 1J per cent. (£250) to be spent on improvements. At present the Government took 2) par cent. Another thing advocated by Mr. Bollard was the telegraphing of money to the course. This should be allowed, as •should the institution of the “double tote.” A thing which he thought was foolish was the present prohibition of the publication of dividends. Although there was this regulation, those who were in the know, say, in, Wellington, knew five minutes -after a race, was run in Hawera what the name of the winner was and how much it paid. Also New Zealand dividends were being published in Australian newspapers, and the same papers being brought ariose to New Zealand and being sold here—buying New Zealand news in Aus,tr.a.Uan papers. Reverting again to the question of permits, Mr. Bollard said that tilnee or four permits could be got from different clubs and later on there might be a spreading out of these privileges. The trouble was that the population had spread, but the permits had not. Some towns had got too many permits, but Tie hoped to regulate things a bit. “That is.’’ said the Minister, stiirning to Mr. Corrigan, “unless- my friend ■turns me out!’’

Mr. Corrigan : “That is the threat 1 am going to hold over you until we get this permit.’’ Mr. Bollard (lauchingly) ; “1 am out to <to what> I consider to he the right thing.” Proceeding, Mr. Bollard paid a tribute to the good work being done by the riving and trotting conferences, both of whom were out to improve the sport in everv possible w*ay. , Racing and trotting in. New Zealand was of v high, standard: in fact, he had been informed bv those who knew, that it wiv ahead of anything in anv other mart of td'o world. Wdh snob a recitation that ho hoped that they would he able to keen it no. Tn conclusion, the Minister said he had to get hack t'> Wellilvton to attend to an accumulation nf work, hut he honed iv r Wt week t.o •v’-e-v-’e" what he was coiner to do. Tf they we--e amon-cs.t, +he 19 the" would he delighted, and if- not—well, they would