DAYS OF RACING.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13929, 11 July 1917, Page 8

DAYS OF RACING.

(DETAILS OF CURTAILMENT.

TOTAL. REDUCTION OF NINE?Y

FOUII DAYS.

At ita meeting on SaturOny morning Cabinet debit with tho question of the curtailment of racing days, The .final suggestions of. tho Racing and Trotting Conferences have been agreed to as under (no alterations were made by the Government):—

Tho present mimbcr of racing 'ays has been reduced by one-third, as from August Ist, This decision is final. There will be 148 days as against 222 in the last racing year. Tho trotting days have been reduced by twenty, making the number thirtynine, as .against fifty-nine last year. There were nineteen trotting days in the North Island last year, and these have boon reduced to thirteen. There were forty days in the Soul It Island, and the reduction there is to twenty-six, The reductions that have taken place in tho final scheme, are as follows: Egmont Racing Club loses two days—two instead of four. Originally a reduction of tlireo days was proposed. The whole of Taranaki district will have seven racing days instead of eleven,

In other respects the recommendations of the conferences,' as already published, 'will stand as under:— Last year, This year.

Totals . . 222 148 This is a total reduction of seventyfour racing days. The recommendations regarding hunt clubs have been accepted withojt alteration, With regard to trotting, the figures are as follows:

Tliis is a total reduction of twenty trotting days, MENTIONED IN PARLIAMENT. MINISTER'S REPLIES TO COMPLAINTS. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 10. In . the House this afternoon, replying to Jlr (!. Hunter, who complained that the one-day racing clubs had been sacrificed in the arrangement made for the reduction of racing, the Hon G. W. Russell said that so many objections had come into the Government against the continuance of racing on the old basis that, the Government had decided that a substantial reduction must, take place. The Racing and Trotting Conferences were asked to draft a scheme to effect the reduction on a basis agreed on, Their recommendations had been accepted bv Cabinet, and were final. If an injustice had been done, the blame must rest at the doors of the conferences, not of the Government. He advised Mr Hunter to accept the position with good grace.

Auckland . , 38 25 Canterbury . 33 22 Grcymouth . 15 10 Hawke's Bay ' 34 23 Otago , . , 41 27 Taranaki . . 11 7 Wanganui , 26 18 Wellington . 24 IB

Last year. This ycai Auckland ... 13 8 Wellington . . !3 4 Wnngamii ... 2 1 Marlborough . 1 1 Nelson . . . , 1 ! Wpstlawl ... S •1 Canterbury • . 20 Otago 7 5 Southland ... 8 0 59 39