POLITICS IN RACING

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12185, 9 July 1925, Page 4

POLITICS IN RACING

SUGGESTED AUTOCRATIC CONTROL WARNING NOTE AT CONFERENCE EFFORT TO BURY THE PAST A warning note as to the possible effect of the introduction of political influence into the control of racing was sounded at the New Zealand Racing Conference yesterday, when a recent controversy which the conference had experienced with the Minister for Internal Affairs, in inspect to the allocation of dates, was recalled. The president (Sir George Clifford), in his annual report stated: — “This conference has evolved from the confusion which prevailed in the racing world forty years ago a system which has harmonised racing in the somewhat awkwardly severed districts of the Dominion. It has continuously striven, and with acknowledged success, to perfect that system, until the sport is enjoyed under conditions not surpassed anywhere for the protection of its followers from abuses and dishonesty. We may therefore regard with apprehension any attempt to substitute in tho internal administration of the turf an autocratic control by a political officer. Such an official would necessarily be of varied and sometimes negligible experience, and obviously of far less competence for any such duties that the elected representatives of the racing clubs of New Zealand, who assemble from all quarters of the Dominion with the united aim of maintaining the highest standard upon the turf. The constitution of the conference is such as to preclude the disastrous intrusion of time-servers for private or party purposes into its working. It would he a calamity if the government of racing were thus practically taken out of the hands of selected men of repute, who give their time and gratuitous services for love of the national sport. Even where the right of intervening is acquired, by a Minister under an Act of Parliament, he would be well advised to ascertain the views of the officials of the conference before venturing upon thin ice of which they probably know the strength far better than ms advisers. In addition to the reference made nv the president, the reports of the dates committee recorded protests which hart been made to the Minister through his failure to agree to the recommendations in respect to the allocation of the twelve additional davs’ racing authorised by the Gaming Bill. The report enumerated its suggestion®, and also the allocation by the Minister of the permits, some of which had been len„. PROTEST AGAINST MINISTER’S ACTION “The dates committee,” the report continued, “desires to further strongly protest against the action of the Minister over-riding the recommendation if the New Zealand Racing Conference ann the dates committee, that the totalizator license for two days’ Tacing rendered available by the Lake County Jockey Club not being able to carry on, be allotted to the Riverton Racing Club, but which the Minister chose to allot by loaning one day to the Riverton Racing Club and one day to the Wellington Racing Club for the current season. After interviewing the Minister the dates committee agreed with his allocation on the understanding that in future the views of the New Zealand Racing Conference will be ascertained in a'J cases with regard to the allocating of totalisator licenses to racing clubs, and that in the event of anv difference arising between the conference and the Minister, the Minister will confer with the conference in order to arrive at an amicable solution of the difficulty.” The committee therefore recommended the conditional acceptance of the following clubs:—Franklin March 27th, Matamata March 6th, Waipapakauri January 16th (if unsuitable the permit to go' to Stratford March 31st), Waimarino March 20th, Motueka March 10th, Waiapu February 27 tb. When the report was read Mr W. T. Hazlett (Dunedin) referred to the dispute between the conference and the Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. R. F Bollard), and said that when the dates committee waited on the Minister two distinct promises were given.One was that he would never interfere with the dates, and secondly that anv matter in dispute would be discussed with the conference. “We agreed that the past was to be buried,” the speaker continued, “and we thought we had made a bargain——” The president: We cannot go into that now. Mr Hazlett: I wish to protest against the report in its present form with my name attached. The president: You cannot discuss that now.

Mr Hazlett sat down, and Mr W. E. Bidwill moved the adoption of the report. The Minister had expressed a desire to moot the conference in every way, and tho interview which the dates committee had had with him would remove any dark cloud which had overhung them for some time. It was not right that tho members of the conference should come year after year and make rules whioh were not carried out by the Minister, who always had the final say in these matters. AMALGAMATION OF CLUBS In respect to the amalgamation of clubs, the speaker thought that the proposals were quite fair and reasonable, and if carried out would have l>een to tho benefit of the sport. When the conference advanced its proposals members had in mind the advancement of racing, and thought they were meet ing with the approval of tho Ministetr himself. Mr H. A. Russell (Hawke’s Bay) asked that it be made clear that the dates committee was not continuing its protests to tho attitude of tho Minister, and suggested tht the report be altered accordingly. The Hon. E. Mitehelson (Auckland) favoured this course, and said the past should bo forgotten provided the Minister had undertaken to render the conference his future support. Mr Nelson (Auckland district) suggested that the whole report be referred back to the dates committee for revision. Mr Bidwill sought to have the words ‘‘desire to strongly further protest” deleted, and the report amended to mere ly record the protests that had been made. This was agreed to, and other reference to tho controversy with the Minister was also deleted. The suggested dates for the Wellington Ciub were objected to, and finally left in tho hands of tho president.