JOCKEY CLUB PRINTING

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6573, 7 February 1925, Page 5

JOCKEY CLUB PRINTING

i (To the Editor.) Sir,—The Te Aroha Jockey Club, in its endeavours to pfoniote the fine sport of racing, are evidently imbued with the idea that a penny saved is a penny gained, irrespective of any other consideration. In connection with the printing necessary for their annual race meeting, it was suggestqjl to the Club that if printing was kept in the town it would be Of benefit to the two local printing firms and to the town. Given to understand this, the local printing firms were asked to tender for the printing privileges, i.e., the race books and other necessary cards, etc. The printers concerned, with touching confidence, put in their tenders. One was accepted—that for stationery—but the big job—the race books—went to a printer outside the town, in fact, a good many miles away from the base. The lowest price submitted by the local men was reasonable and fair, but was some shillings per 100 abovq the outside office. The Club for. the past three years have been on velvet, having let a three years’ contract for the books at a price considerably below the one accepted for the present lot. For three local firm did the job at a margin of profit that didn’t nearly compensate for the amount of rush, wear and tear involved in a jbb of this nature. Perhaps the Club members were surprised that the ridiculous three year price was not repeated, and are a bit sore at having to pay even a trifle more this year. For a prosperous concern like the Te Aroha Jockey Club the policy of supporting an outside concern to the detriment of local business is not a good one, even if the Club is on the way to save a few pounds, as the trouble involved in dealing with an outside remote from the centre of activity is not compensated for by the few pounds saved. The Ciub’s profits on the books is something remarkable, being a long way better than “tote” profits even, and amounts to about 100 per cent, after cost of printing, distribution, and a 20 per* cent, margin for books not sold is taken into consideration. “Support local industry” is supposed to be a slogan of the local Chamber of Commerce, but it is aparently not carried out by influential members of both bodies, viz., the Chamber and the, Jockey Club. The tendency in Te Aroha is to go out of town for a lot of things easily procurable locally, but in nothing is this habit more manifest than where printing is concerned. The Jockey Club is not alone in this respect, but could, if they had a mind to do so, set an example.—l am, etc., ;C. J. CLARIDGE.