The Palinerston and Tahuna Park Clubs.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 35

The Palinerston and Tahuna Park Clubs.

TO THE HDITOB.

Sir, — Seeing thab your jr-nerally fair and impartial sporting editor " Mazeppa" hai gone out of his way to act as apologist for the Tahuna Club and given gome fix reasons in favour of thab clu.b's contention, I consider he does my club an Injustice by arguing the ruatter while it ia sub judice. I tbeiefore consider I am^udtified in answering, and crave space to do so. Iteason 1. — That the Palmerston Club only of late yeara faatenfd on to Boxiug Day, raced three times, etc. We would have held on to that day many years ago only that the Oamaru Tradesmen's Club always held race 3on that day, and we would not interfere ; but as soon as that club discontinued racing we took up the date, and I presume everything must have a beginning. Heason 2. — That most of the horses competing at • Palmerston were local ones, etc., SuncdiniTained amounting to osily some 17 in three years. The fact is we have received some 53 (racing 28, trots 25) entries (not horses) irom Dunedin ia the three year*.

Iteason 3. — That is all we ask for,

Eeason 4. — Yes, we freely adm-t we not only want the horses, but the m-iii also. B'i£ why encha claim cinnot be mppoited passes my comprehension. Doc 3 any club, melroDolitin or country, get up races depending only oa the patronage of its own people? Does Tahuna cr^ve after the holiday simplF to obtain the patronage of its own people? No, it wan's the country people and other centres as well, otherwise the returns from the totaU*ator and gates woul-i soon tell its own tale. Why, "Mazeppa" gives hiin-self-away on that, the main question. AVhai. foes he say in his concluding par on the la'.e Hunt Club meeting when commenting on tbo small attendance at that meeting »nd giving a rea-iou therefor? "Partly accountable for a football jna'cb, ;m<i if a further cause," &c. : "the club not advertising amoDg tha people [country, of course] who could be induced ti attend," Ac. ; conclurtiDg with let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag remark : " Where does the club c-xpect to get its patrouajje fi\.m ? Echo answers, Where ? " Why from the country and outside districts ; that is where ihs gate and tote money comes from, and 110 club, la>ge or su>all, could carry ou any lengfch of time if it had to depend upon its pirochi.il patronage.

lU:ason 5. — Substitute " racing" for " trotting," theu it equally applies t^ the Calmerston Club. .Reason 6 ---Palmerston Club hat previously raced on Boxing ' r 'ay, 'J'ahui-a Park never, has, therefore the validity certainly belongs to the former.

The remarks about the Tahnna delegates on the association being not likely to forget the CanterLury Trotting Club's race* oii Boxing Day and New Yew's Day, unmindful of Ashbutton and Tinwald, are out of place and beside the Question, and "Mazeppi" knows it, seeing thsse places are 53 ami 57 milts apart. In conclusion, I will pirate bii (" AL»zeppa's ") concluding remark by saying I consider he takes a serious responsibility in trying to set our club (Uige) agunst another (siuall). If he would only look at thn queijtir>n with an unjaundiced eye, he caunot fail to see that tbe action of the Tahunst stewards is extremely (elfish, and devoid of all fait and sportsmanlike principles— they not only cr.iveio seizs uoon our holiday^but tha Waikouaiti Club's also.— l am, &c, J. T. Gwynne, September 20. Hon. Sue. Palmerstoii Club.