CONTROL OF RACING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3885, 28 August 1928, Page 60

CONTROL OF RACING.

CONFERENCE REPRESENTATION. DISSATISFACTION IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, August 21 “ I seldom refer to Racing Conference affairs other than with words of compliment, but I feel constrained to offer adverse comment to-day.” remarked Mr E. W. Alison (president of the Takapuna Jockey Club) at the annual meeting. Mr Alison said that members were aware that certain changes had been effected, placing in the hands of an Executive Committee many of the powers hitherto vested in the president Had this committee been properly representative of the metropolitan clubs and country clubs of the Dominion ail would have been well, but all was not well. Ear from it. Had Sir George Clifford oeen in his accustomed place at the recent conference meeting he felt confident chat the regrettable episode upon which 'he president of the Auckland Racing Club had forcibly and with good reason ex-, pressed himself would not have been permitted to occur. He alluded, of course, to the circumstance that upon this committee nominees of the metropolitan clubs of Canterbury. Wellington, Dunedin, and even Southland and Hawke's Bay, had found seats, to the total exclusion of the Auckland Racing Club. It was stated that this lamentable result has been brought about by a misreading of the rules. Whether that was so or not, it was only too obvious that for somfe unexplained and wholly indefensible reason a set was made against the Auckland Racing Club, the premier metropolitan club of the Dominion. Had the metropolitan clubs been given the voting power which, it was contended, the rules entitled them to. the mischief complained of would probably not have happened; but be that as it may. what had been done constituted a deliberate affront and indignity to Auckland and reflected anything but credit upon those responsible. An inexcusable impropriety of this kind tended to create a feeling of hostility towards the New Zealand Racing Conference which. if not overcome, must inevitably lead to disintegration and disunity —a condition of racing affairs which they should all deeply deplore and which the conference representatives should exercise their best endeavours to avoid. POSITION OF MANAWATU CLUB. PALMERSTON N., August 21. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Manawatu Racing Club last evening, the president (Mr T. B. Louisson) referred to the remarks made by the president of the Auckland Racing Chib regarding Manawatu being represented on the Racing Conference. He stated that although Manawatu was ranked as a country club, it stakes per day’s racing and totalisator turnovei were considerably higher than those of many of the metropolitan clubs. If the conference was reconstituted on the basis of figures, Manawatu would most certainly rank as a metropolitan club. The stakes for classic races were £lBOO, which ranked Manawatu ufth among the clubs giving stakes for these races. The amount of stakes distributed per day was £2399, which ranked sixth amongst the racing clubs of the Dominion. The average totalisator turnover per day was £35,73), which also ranked sixth. There were nine metropolitan clubs in the Dominion, ali represented on the conference, and of these only Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch could give larger stakes and had a larger totalisator turnover than Manawatu. As one so-called metropolitan club gave as low as £BB3 per day in stakes with a daily turnover of £9414, compared with Manawatu’s £2399 and £35,731, it proved that the remarks of the Auckland Clubs president were unwarranted. Wanganui. Dunedin, and Hawke’s Bay, with two representatives each on the conference, showed less per day in stakes and in their totalisator turnover than did Manawatu. These facts justified Manawatu being represented on the conference.