UNWILLING YOKEFELLOWS

Otago Witness, Issue 2320, 18 August 1898, Page 31

UNWILLING YOKEFELLOWS

From remarks that I have read and heard pjtt impression appears to prevail that the Alexandra ajid Xvneeut filubfl tftfift .wiU4a a &b.Q*fc

distance of each othei*. Possibly that notion guided the Colonial Secretary --or was it the Conference or the chairman of the Conference? — in directing these two clubs to amalgamate. The mistake is traceable, I think, to a belief amongst untravelled sports- i men that the Vincent Club races at Clyde, j which is the township between Alexandra and'j Cromwell. As a matter of fact, the Vincent J Club holds its meetings on the Matakanui reserve at Ophir, 20 miles from Alexandra. Cromwell is nearer to Alexandra than Ophir is. The relative distances are, approximately, Alexandra to Ophir, 20 miles ; Alexandra to Cromwell, 20 miles ; Ophir to Cromwell, }l miles. These considerations make it plain that tho order to Alexandra and Vincent to become one is not founded on geographical contiguity. If that was intended to be the guiding principle, the order should be revoked, as issuing in error. I can well undersand that Sir George Clifford, or whoever is responsiDlo for the making of these arrangements, could claim the support of the sporting community at larsje in ordering two clubs that really did race close alongside each other to amalgamace ; but where, as in this particular case, each serves and draws its support from a separate district, the compulsory alliance means that one or the other must cease to be a racing j district. This would be unjust. I can quite | imagine the Hon. W. J. M. Larnach making j out a strong case when pleading with the Colonial Secretary for a restoration of the license to both Alexandra and Vincent. So far as I can make out, the Hon. J. Carroll has four licenses up his sleeve — two for racing and two for trotting clubs. A sense of justice will surely prompt him to give up one of these in order to be fair with clubs that have never, so \ far as we know, done anything to deserve the ; punishment of extinction. I don't know what j the Minister wants licenses in reserve for at j all, but as he happens to have a couple to . spare tor racing he can afford to be just. i