SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13940, 28 June 1909, Page 4

SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

The interesting discussion- which look place nb the annual meeting, of the. Smith Canterbury Jockey Club, on tha Club':; position, more particularly from ii raring man's point of view, has been continued in our open column, and tl;f latest 'contribution is a letter front Mr .1. Mo wry, who has for some time been a k'-eu critic of the Committee's management. The Club can claim to have won a marked increase in popularity of late years. This was shown most distinctly hy the comparative table for the years 1903 and 1908, furnished hy tho secretary and published hy us last week. Still, it appears that something is wanting to attract still more the general public. Those who do visit the Timaru race meetings are struck hy the marked scantiness of: local support j in fact ■ if the Club - had.

to depend on this alone, and their supporters from Christchurch and Ashburton. Dnnedin and Oamaru, took ifc into their head to stay away for one meeting' it would bo a sorry gathering. The discussion at the annual meeting, aid the subsequent criticism, liave siown that the suggestions for an improvement are not impracticable. To th« suggested reduction in fees, the. hone-owners are directly interested, and it lias heeii shown pretty eonclu.sivety that the entry fees at. Timani are t>o high in comparison with tliosc charged by similar clubs, for outside the metropolitan areas, all clubs that are Wbwed to use the totalisator may be said to be of one class. The suggestion, therefore, hy "An Owner."' by Mr .1. \lowey, and hy Mr AV. Gunn, all keen sportsmen.-that the nomination and scceptance fees should be reduced, strips us as a reasonable one; and. seeing\hat the Club is now in a strong ftnancnl position, they could afford to give ifc a trial. The aim r>k the Club should he to attract owners, for the greater She numlier of horses in a race, the g'icater the attraction to the general puttie. The secretary to the club, in his Suterview, touched indirectlv on the elites of meetings, and " An Owner " directly suggested a ihan-e in the date of tin autumn meetin" "A change of dates bis been tried, ami so far as the siraimw meeting is concerned it worked well. As to the autumn meeting the Commfctce might look into '"An Owner's" suggestion, and if his argument is sount, try a chan-e of date for this, meeting also. It is as well to liear in mind, however, that frequent changes .night do more harm than good. Finally there «.*he training track. Tl.is has been said by S omr to be the "best in the Dominion* hv others as quite unfit to train upon. The troth may be found by cleaving the two statements. It is hard to get. an authoritative opinion upon the track as s» few horses aye locallytrained. The Ground Committee however, might well get a dis.ntercstcd expert opinion upon it. and it the track rcallv needs improvement, see that such"improvement is made. Whatever is attempted in the way of popularising the Timam race meetings will certainly br welcomed by a large number of wellwishers; and it is for the Committee to give the matter their closest attention. If they find the task hcyimd their powers they should ask Mr Godfrey to name the " sporting men who can help them," to whom he referred at the annual meeting.