Funds For Picnic Clubs

Northern Advocate, 7 January 1948, Page 6

Funds For Picnic Clubs

WELLINGTON, Wed. (Sp.)—The wide growth of non-lotalisator racing clubs, particularly in Northland and the Waikato, is commented on by the Gaming and Racing Commission in its report.

There are, it says, 53 clubs at which only unregistered horses are allowed to compete; 27 A. and P. Association, or polo or hunt clubs are registered; and there are two clubs which it is impossible to classify. Of the club registered. 27 appear to provide programmes in which racing is the conclusive constitutent, 14 provide for racing and novelty events, and 10 for novelty events alone. The operations of these clubs are in the nature of picnic meetings, in which a purely sporting spirit predominates and the amateur spirit is rigorously preserved.

As a means of increasing interest in the racing, recourse had been had to a system of sweepstakes, the organisation of which is, in most instances, regarded as a means of securing the revenue foi prizes and expenses. BREACH OF ACT This system is a breach of the Gaming Act, which prohibits all sweepstakes except those got up on a racecourse and which comply with the following conditions: — (a) The total amount subscribed must not exceed £5. (b) Individual contributions must not exceed 5/- each.

(c) The whole sum must go to the winner without deduction.

The illegality now commonly involved arises from the fact that many clubs make a deduction of some percentage of the amount of the sweepstake, and apportion a part of the sum contributed to the second horse. The commission says it cannot regal'd the promotion of sweepstakes at non-lotalisator meetings, as allowed by law, to be anything in the nature of a social evil.

If the sweepstakes were abolished people would still wager amongst themselves, and there would be an additional inducement for amateur and not too reputable professional bookmakers to operate on the courses. LEVY ON TOTALISATOR CLUBS However Mr Heenan and Mr Freeman regard the system as an evasion of the law. and feel that there should be a strict inforcement of the law to prevent deductions and divisions of the pool Detween the first and second horses.

Mr Justice Finlay regards the practice as, in itself, innocuous and would amend the law to make the present practice legal. If that is not adopted, the whole commission is agreed that some other means of providing prizes must be found. It recommends that each Conference be authorised to make an annual levy upon the totalisator clubs under its jurisdiction of an amount equal to the aggregate prize-money paid out by the non-totalisator clubs under its control during 1946. This sum could then be distributed to picnic clubs so that each would receive a sum equal to the sum it paid in prizes during 1946. The levy should be made in the proportions which the fractions retained by each totalisator club in each year bear to the total sum retained by all clubs during the year as fractions.

The commission does not think that any picnic clubs organised in the future should take any benefit from this proposal.

Could Not Swim PAHIATUA. Wed. IP.A.).—A farm hand was drowned on Monday evening in the Mangahao River. He was: Mr Donald McDonald aged 36, of Balfour, Otago.

Mr McDonald, who could not swim, tripped over a log in the shallows into a deep hole.

A married couple with children in the party were not swimmers and help was not obtained In time. The body was recovered by the Pahiatua police yesterday morning in 14ft of water.