KUROW CLUB’S LICENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26672, 19 January 1948, Page 2

KUROW CLUB’S LICENCE

RACING COMMISSION "NOT FAIR” REPLY TO RECOMMENDATION Special to the Daily Times OAMARU, Jan. 17. The Kurow Jockey Club has issued the following statement, in reference to the Gaming Commission's recommendation that the club’s licence be cancelled:— The Gaming Commission, in its report, recommends the cancellation of the Kurow Jockey Club's licence, and, in its supporting reasons, as published in the press, has been scarcely fair to the club in the presentation of the facts. The commission states that " the club’s function in this respect (i.e. to provide an opportunity for the people over a widely-scattered area to meet) was discounted by the fact that since 1938 its meetings had been held at Oamaru." The commission presents one side of the case only, although the reasons why the club raced at Oamaru were given to the commission by the club in its submission. The facts are as follows 1. In 1939, the totalisator building on the club’s course at Kurow was totally destroyed by fire as a result of occupation by the Kurow District High School, the building being used daily for educational purposes. The insurances on the building were only £3OO, and an estimate of the cost of re-building at that time was between £7OO and £BOO. The club’s finances at that stage did not permit it to re-build at that cost. Representations have been made to the Government for, compensation in view of the fact that the building was being used for educational purposes at the time of the fire, but the Government has refused to assist. 2. Without a totalisator building on the course at Kurow, it would be an impossibility to hold a meeting there, and this was the main reason why the Racing Conference and the Minister of Internal Affairs gave permission to race on the Oamaru course in 1939 and 1940. 3. Another factor, which should be perfectly obvious to the commission is that the club cannot get a permit to build a totalisator house at the present time and probably not for some time in the future. The Gaming Commission comments on the fact that “in July, 1941, the club decided to go into recess. It did so, and remained in recess until January, 1946, when it again became active and held a meeting in Oamaru. Here again, the commission has not given both sides of the case. Here are the facts:— (a) It is true that the club went into recess in 1941, but not voluntarily, and for reasons quite beyond its control. (b) In 1941 the Government, owing to war-time conditions, decided that no racing club would be allowed to race

away from its own course unless that course was in occupancy for military purposes. As the Kurow course did not come within this category, the club had no alternative but to go into recess until such time as it would be allowed to race again. (c) In 1946, after the war was over, and upon the restoration of racing dates curtailed during the war, the club immediately applied for permission to race at Oamaru, and again this was approved by the Racing Conference and the Minister of Internal Affairs on the grounds that the club had no totalisator building at Kurow, and therefore could not hold a meeting there. (d) In commenting on and stressing the fact that the club went into recess during the war years, as though this was a voluntary act and evidence of a lack of enthusiasm or virility on the part of the club, the Gaming Commission has been scarcely fair in not stating the reasons why this was done. Another point which was placed before tlie commission was that the club has plans and estimates for the rebuilding of the totalisator house at Kurow. On present-day costs such a building is estimated to cost £2500, and until the club can accumulate sufficient funds for this purpose this building cannot be erected. In view of the fact that the original totalisator building was destroyed by fire when being occfipied for governmental purposes, it is anomalous, to say the least of it, for the Gaming Commission to criticise the club for racing at Oamaru in the hope that it could accumulate funds to build at Kurow. Rather would it have been more appropriate if the Gaming Commission, had adopted a sympathetic attitude to the club and given some recognition and appreciation of its efforts to keep going in the face of difficult circumstances. Instead, the Gaming Commission appears to have deliberately gone out of its way to build up a case condemning the club in order to justify its recommendation that its licence should be given to some other club.