RACING COMMISSIONER'S REPORT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 26 June 1911, Page 3

RACING COMMISSIONER'S REPORT.

RANGITIKEI DISSATISFIED.

(Umitbh Pbess Association.)

MARTO.N, iSuiiiiday. Resi-dehts of Rangitikei and the racing pu.bliic in particular are much dissatisfied at the decision; of the Racing Commißisioii to deprive Bulls of it® race mjeotinig. The c!>u.b is oil'e o-f the oldest in the North Island, aaid has first-c-lass a.p.point.nien l ts and the b-e.st course on the coast. A deputation, from the club; to ba in/trodixced by .Mr. Iseswman, M.P., Wa.it c-n tlie Muugter on Tuesday. It ia hoped; t.he Goivernment avHI not endorse the recommendations aA thie Commissioti; PALMERSTON N., Satur. The Rangitckei Racing Gl-ub held a special mceti.n,g at Bull® to-day to consider tiha .situation which has arisen out of the .reocm'menda-tioin that its days oi racing he givan, to the Miarton UiiUb, with which it is recommended to amalgamate. The position is that the club paid ful.lv £5 an acre for 100 acres at ■Bulls, and recently carried out considerable improvements. It owes £2650 on mortgage, £650. ('0 of which must be p-a : d by- August, 1912, also £2OO of overdraft. The land would not fetch anything like the cost for farming .purposes, and it ca-nmot sell otherwise 'thap: saibje>ct to a lease of seven year® to a- nunv bsr erf gnazirtjg rights at £SO pcir annum. while its annual bill for interest is £145. As the club was the oldest in these parts and the fourtceiath oldest In New Zealand, it considers it shoixld be allowed to race till 1 it can jni?j£it its liabilities. While the Ccrnmiscaoneiris have suggested tihat wherever there is a surplus, in the club winding u,p it should he given to the hospital o,r the cuuib wrtl? which it is bidden to ainaJgiamate, no pix>vision appeaxs to have bain ma-ae where is a. liabildty, whicih 10 other clulb should take over with the valuable privilege -cif extra days and a mooiopioly. The Rangitike.i Club .resOiVe.d to acik the Minister to reoeive a deputation on its position, to isoa if it could not race till it was clear.

WESTPORT IN(DIGIXIANT. W EST PORT, Saturday. Much indignation prevail© in this district over the aibsurd r«\cmmendat!ion of the Rach'-g Commission tihat ■ the two days' privileges hitherto allowed VVestpoi-t be taken away. Westport, though 'the main, coal ,poT,t cif the DomLni.on,. handling a thiird lia>rgest of the shipping tonnage, is by thie Commission cussed' with email u,p-vou.niry towns. It :s regarded as tiie height cif absurdity bo deny W estpar t, behind which are .the main coal mines of the Dominion, priv'iiegtes that are granted tp pla-ces which by ■comparison axe iaisignnioa.nt. Geo graphical conditions have apparently never been considered by the Commission in maiking its rccommieancLationis, for whereas Reefton, Greymouth, JKumaira, and Hokititea, .with a total elf .eleven days.' privileges, are all connected 1 by na'ihvay, allowing .people from all these cowns to attend with no great difficulty all elevcm race meetings, Wiestport is completely isolated fmm al'l thece ©esv t=res, of which Reef ton is the nearest. i'a.ngLnnr froon £.O to 80 miles distance from tiie various townships of tins district. The decision of thie Commi ss i oil, if ,gdvemi effect tiO, meianis practically taking out a prohibition ordfey so far as races ar.e concerned against the great bulk of the people -cur this pairt -cif thei Coast, a. dec is 1 : o.n that seeirns so. utterly a,hsul'd that p'Sonfe here •fail to umde.r-, staaiid what, the "Commission, eould. have been thinking of when making it. Possibly the Commission, which <be.at al'l pnevicais travclLLng records in a motor cair, imagined West,port residents weire a>s hapipLy situated' in vehiculajr iscirvice as themselves, o.r tliey covered .ground l>et"\vcc;n centres so i«|pLd'ly a® to loop all sight ctf distances in -their calculations.