RACING NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 220, 15 August 1927, Page 10

RACING NEWS.

THE RACING DISPUTE. WAIKATO DISAGREEMENT. RECENT HISTORY OF TROUBLE. Tho circumstances leading up to the dispute between the Waikato Racing Club and the Waikato Hunt Club regarding the use of the Labour Day race permit were revealed in the House of Representatives by Mr A. M. Samuel (Ohinemuri) last week. Mr Samuel said he was a member of the Racing Club ho was opposing, but not of the Hunt Club. He had been told he would get a severe trouncing when he got on the political platform if he took up his present attitude, but he was willing to take anything that was facing him and to meet the electors. Mr Samuel said the Racing Club had now applied for the Labour Day date for the first €ime. The Hunt Club never had any other, date, yet the other side was trying to take it away. Some time ago the Waikato Racing Club had gone into an unwise land speculation in purchasing 298 acres of land for a when only 78 acres were required, and the club lost £SOO on the place it already had. It had also paid double the value of the land it had bought. The slump in land had brought about the trouble of the Racing Club. SALE OF PERMIT SUGGESTED. The the signatories of a joint and several'_guarant.ee went to the Hunt Club anu said something that astounded the Hunt Club. They said they had heard on the best authority that the Minister of Internal Affairs was going to cancel the Hunt Club’s permits and that legislation was being introduced to abolish the Hunt Club permits. That was in the 1924-25 season. On the strength of this they advised the Hunt Club to sell its permit to the Racing Club. A Voice: For how much? Mr Samuel: £SOO a year. Continuing, Mr Samuel said the Hunt Club waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs and put the statement to him. The Minister gave an emphatic denial and he also said there was no danger that Labour Day would be taken away from the Hunt Club. He said he would see that the Hunt Club got fair play and that nobody took their day away. ACTIONS OF RACING CLUB. That statement was published and no objection was made by the .Racing Conference. There was never' a word from the conference about it. The next move of tho Racing Club was to come out in the open and at the 1925-26 conference it made application for the Hunt Club’s day. The president of tho Racing Club attended the conference and made a request for the Labour Day date. The request Was refused by the Dates Committee. He went before the conference again, and again he was defeated by a . large majority. Then came the 1926-27 season and the Hunt Club learned that the secretary of the Racing Club had been touring New Zealand interviewing members of the conference and the Dates Committee asking them to support the Racing Club against the Hunt Club. A Voice: Shame.

The president of the Racing Club openly stated in Hamilton that he could guarantee his club would get Labour Day because the majority of the conference had promised it. Then a deputation from the Hunt Club waited on the Minister and got the same reply as on the previous occasion; namely, that justice would be done to them and that he would keep his word. Right through the controversy the Minister had maintained a dignified, gentlemanly and firm attitude.

“Hear, hears,” from both sides of the Chamber. ' AUCKLAND COMMITTEE ATTACKED.

All these facts were * known to the Auckland District Coxmittee, and it was the duty, of that committee, to support and not to embarrass the Minister, proceeded Mr Samuel.. Another attempt was made by the president of the Racing Club to take the day away. He interviewed members of the Auckland District Committee and extracted a promise thas they would assist the Racing Club against the Hunt Club. (Cries of “Shame.”) The committee recommended that the day should be taken away and they would not hear the case for the Hunt Club.

Mr Samuel said that although two delegates from the Hunt Club had accepted what was tantamount to an invitation to state their case to the Auckland District Committee, and had waited at the committee room door for ten minutes, they were informed by the secretary, Mr Spence, that the committee did not wish to hear them. “I submit that is not fair play,”- said Mr Samuel.

“The delegates then went before the Dates Committee at the last Racing Conference, where they found the president of the Racing Club, accompanied by an eminent barrister,” continued Mr Samuel. “The rules of the conference prohibit the attendance of counsel at an inquiry where a jockey or apprentice is concerned, and when attention was drawn to the presence of the barrister it was stated ho was a member of the club. That is so, but to my mind it was unfair to bring him into this matter, and I have no doubt lie was deliberately briefed for tlie occasion. The committee refused to allow the Hunt Club to tender evidence in rebuttal of anything that might be said against it by the Racing Club.” " BREAKING OF THE STORM.

Mr Samuel then' referred to the wellknown recent events, when the Minister made it known that he would adhere to his promise to the club. “And then the storm broke,” he said.

Voices: The hurricane. , Mr Samuel: There descended on members of this House a flood of invective at their temerity in daring to question or even mention the name of this authority—this outside Parliament. They said politics must be kept out of it, but ave there not politics in the Racing Conference? If there were not, why was the secretary of the Waikato Racing Club allowed to tour New Zealand lobbying members? “Awful penalties may fall on my head over this, but I am out for justice. I may be warned off every proprietary course in New Zealand, as the clubs have the power to do that, but I do not care if 1 never see a racecourse again. I have owned racehorses to my sorrow and I have hunted to my great joy.” Referring to the letter which had been sent to the Minister by members of the House endorsing his action with regard to the permit, Mr Samuel said it was signed by members who represented all shades of political opinion. Some of them were most ardent supporters of racing and all of them were ardent supporters of fair play.