TURF GOSSIP.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 10 August 1927, Page 3

TURF GOSSIP.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

For the racing year just ended the Auckland Racing Club paid away in wages £14,564. This item alone shows that racing means employment for many. Considering the valuable prizes offering in the hunter races at the Pakuranga meeting to be field this month, tlie class is decidedly poor. The English-bred Hoylake was not accepted lor on the first day of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting, but lie is nominated for a race to be run ju Thursday, and no doubt will run well.

For the season just past, racing clubs paid over to the Government in different forms of taxes just on liali a million of money. What other sport or entertainment pays anything like this amount!-'

Count Cavour, who is engaged on tliie second valid third idays of it he Grand National meeting, appears to he doing good work at lticcarton, and last week lie beat his stable mate, Magna Charta, over seven furlongs. As the latter is good in private, the Count’s performance was excellent. The Grand National Hurdles comes up for decision to-morrow. By geneiul consent this year’s held is looked on as inferior to most of its predecessors. Racing on the first day of the meeting may throw some light on the prospects of horses not fancied by early ‘'tipsters.” On their form at f'rentliam last month, Whamclille and derle de Leon should again run well. A statement made recently from the door of the House by a certain M.P. once again reminds one of the old saying: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” in referring to the dispute between the Waikato Racing Club and Waikato Hunt Club, this member remarked that some of the racing men were sympathetic to the Waikato Racing Club because that >ody was not as strong financially as the more lucky Waikato Hunt Club, l’his learned member went on to administer some sound advice (f) to the financially strong racing eiubs, saying they might learn a lesson from the hunt clubs, the stronger of which always helped the weak ones, hence today all hunt clubs were doing well. To anyone conversant .with the matter such a statement is a good joke, for nad not the racing clubs helped our hunting friends by lending their courses and appointments, most, if not all, hunt clubs would be forced to hold their annual gatherings on some kindly disposed farmer’s place. Certainly out for the helping hand of racing clubs (not hunt clubs, as stated by the M.P.) there would be no Hunt Club Gups of £6OO or £7OO, as exist to-day in New Zealand. The remarks made by this member of Parliament snow how little he knew of the matter lie spoke on. On many occasions there has appeared in this column reference to the unfair taxation demanded and taken by the Government from our struggling racing clubs. This matter again was brought to one’s notice by reading the annual reports of _ racing clubs, die majority of which lost heavily on the year s working, but still had to pay huge amounts of money into the Government coffers. One need only quote the case of the unlucky Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, which body lost o\er £1800"on the season just finished, let in face of this great loss they had to pay something like £7OOO to i.he Government in the form of taxation. There are many clubs in a similar position, and as things are their position is hopeless, for on one hand the rules of racing demand that a club shall give stake money to a certain amount, and on the other hand an unfair demand is made on the club’s funds by an unsympathetic Government. Surely a- more just way would be to tax the net proiits of a racing club. No private person or company pays income tax in a year which shows a Joss, so why penalise a racing club. There is not the slightest doubt that unless the Government realises the absurd position, many racing clubs will be obliged to hand in their licenses, and thus there will he a big hiss to the tax department. The ".Railway Department has just completed erecting a. loading bank at the Marten Junction railway station, on the northern side of the station, with a capacity for four double waggons at a time. This will prove a great boon to visiting trainers to the Marten Jockey Club’s meetings, as it will save them a roundabout journey of about a. mile to the racecourse stables, and ensure quicker dispatch in loading and unloading by the railwav employees on account of its exceptional locality. V isitors to the Marton spring meeting on September 2 and 3 will greatly appreciate this innovation.