FEWER RACE DAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20819, 11 March 1931, Page 12

FEWER RACE DAYS.

NO MID-WEEK MEETINGS.

BAN IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

[from our, own correspondent.] SYDNEY, March 5. Judging by the decrcasanl attendances at mid-week race meetings in Sydney during tho last three months, the sport would vory soon have died a natural death, making it unnecessary for tho Premier to prohibit all meetings unless they wore hold on Saturday or public holiday. Practically all mid-week races in and around the city are held by proprietary clubs, whose profits go to the shareholders. These clubs are linked with a body known as the Associated Racing Clubs and arc not registered with the Australian Jockey Club. They cater purely for tho so-called ponies and secondrate horses. In times of prosperity these clubs made big profits, and so great was tho number of horses competing at their nieotings that as many as 16 or 17 races have been held in a single day—a race every 20 minutes. Thoro have been many agitations from timo to time for a limitation of race meetings, and with Mr. Lang in power it was felt all along that something would soon be done. Still, his definite announcement that he was proparing legislation camo as a bombshell.

The ramifications of racing in Now South Wales have become so extensive that nt short notice it is difficult to conceive where the repercussions of the change will end—the extent of its effect on proprietary racing interests and employment, and the loss of revenue to the State. It would seem that it would be impossible for the pony clubs to carry on, as they have always found the opposition of n registered meeting on ft Saturday too strong. Tho trotting clubs have invariably held their meetings on mid-week days, and if iliey aro unable to continue to do so their fato will bo sealed. Tho Australian -Toclcey Club races twice a year only on Wednesdays, nnd will not be affectod seriously by the ban, which, it is proposed shall operate from the end of this month.

Thero are 83 trainers licensed by tho Associated Racing Club and 141 other persons lwivo permits to train. It is estimated that five hundred horses will bo affected if unregistered racing is Misponded. Wliilo it is admitted that tho attendances at tho Wednesday meetings hold by the pony clubs are largely constituted of professional racegoers, there is always a sprinkling of half-holiday workers and men who work night shifts in various industries.

The Premier has pointed out that during tho war period racing within tho State was considerably restricted, He considered that the prosent economic depression was much more serious than was the case during the war, and for that reason he had decided that there should bo a restriction of race meetings.