EXTRA EDITION. SPORTING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9138, 10 July 1906, Page 7

EXTRA EDITION.

SPORTING.

THE DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

REFERENCE TO THE TOTALISATOR.

[press association.]

DUNEDIN, July 9. At the annual meeting of the Dumedan Jockey Club thfe Hon. G. McLean, who presided, congratulated the club on its success during the past season. They had commenced the season with a debit balance of £436, and with an additional amount to come from the Government the profit would be £988. Referring to the agita.taon against the totalisator by the Council of the Churches, Mr McLean said he was in a peculiar position to deal with the matter, as he never betted a shilling on his own or any otbeir man's horse. The Council of the Churches did not .realise what they weire doing. Did' they desire to go back to the system of bookmakers, whom they saw living in luxury' Did they understand that by keeping up this agitation they were only limiting the clubs getting totalisator permits? There were in the colony 83 racing and 16 trotting clubs with permits— in all 99 clubs out of the 256 Hubs holding meetings. It was these^ 157 clubs that could not get totalisator permits who kept up tie bookmakers. The Auckland Club had shut out the bookmakers, and the totalieator .receipts had gone -up by £48,742, showing the harvest the bookmakers made. If that money got. into their hands, what good would they do with it? The clubs only used the totalisators to increase the stakes, keep up their racecourses, and carry on the racing. They had done away with tha proprietors' clubs, and racing was now being conducted in a straightforward and | honest way — more honestfly than in any country in the world. The opponents of s the totalisator were working in the dark, and did not seek for information from those who could give it. Out of the 83 clubs holding permits, 22 held only one day meetings, and 6 of the trotting clubs held only a day meeting in a year. Surely these people did not grudge a district having a meeting once a year. Mr Jas. Hazlett was appointed vicerpesident in place of Mr S. Solomon, who retired, and the remainder of the officerbearers were re-elected.