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Helensville has approximately a population of a thousand people. The average permit in the cities works out at about one in twelve thousand, and we reckon we have a population of forty thousand north of the Waitemata Harbour. We only ask for a permit on that basis. The people as far as the rail-head at Biokerstaflo and Otamatea would make use of this meeting. The facilities here are good both by train and boat. The people in the district are trying to improve the breed of horses, and they look upon this meeting, first, as a picnic outing, and, second, as affording an opportunity to the farmers to try their horses. Ngaruawahia Racing Club. The headquarters of the club are at Ngaruawahia. The club was formed in the year 1865, and is registered. The last meeting was held in February, 191.4. A list of the present members of the club and a copy of the last balance-sheet have been forwarded. Ihe course was ploughed and grassed some years ago, after being laid out by an authorized surveyor. Ihe circumference of the course is 9 furlongs. The tenure is freehold, the section (No. 123 a) having been specially reserved by Government for a racecourse. It is now vested in the Ngaruawahia Domain Board, and brings in a rental of £45 per annum. The main building, consisting of a booth, stewards' and jockeys' rooms, was blown down last winter. The Domain Board has signified its willingness to rebuild before next meeting. Other accommodation consists of judge's box, shoeingshed, and the usual sanitary conveniences. The course is only partially fenced near the winningpost, but funds are available to complete it if necessary. The nearest clubs using the totalizator are South Auckland, thirteen miles distant; Te Aroha, forty-three miles distant; and Paeroa, fifty-eight miles away. The nearest clubs not using the totalizator are at Whatawhata, twelve miles distant; Alexandra, thirty-seven miles distant; and Waipa, thirty-eight miles distant. We consider that we have a very special claim for consideration from the fact that the Government gave the district a racecourse, and should not withhold a license, without which it is useless for the purposes for which it was given. By the Deputation. —Our course is one which has been endowed by the Government for the express purpose of running races. We think the advantages of a Government-endowed course are obvious. We have to pay no rent for the privilege of running our races, and in our particular case we have the revenue that is derived from the tenant of the racecourse reserve, with which we propose to improve the course. The public also benefits, because through having no rent to pay we can give better prize-money, and so induce a better class of racehorse to run here. At the present time we are just merely meeting our expenses running without a permit, and that has been going on for the last five or six years. We have now an opportunity to get on a sound financial basis, and if we lose it the club will become a thing of the past. All the jockeys who come to Ngaruawahia say the course is the best in the district. The sandy nature of the soil makes it particularly adaptable for racing purposes. It can never become boggy. In ■the whole of the Raglan Electorate, which is very wide and scattered, there is not a racing club with a permit. Ngaruawahia is.in a very prosperous state at the present time. The new mine is turning out 400 tons of coal a day and is employing 130 hands, and the company expect in a short time to increase both the output and number of hands. Freezing-works are also beingstarted which will employ three hundred men, and these industries will increase our population by a thousand. This is also the centre of a large agricultural district. We would point out that four hundred residents of the district signed a petition to Parliament praying for a permit for the club. The petition was signed by residents as far down as Huntly and Pukekohe. If a permit is granted the Domain Board which controls the property is prepared to enter into an agreement to make improvements which will bring the course right up to date. The site is good, and we only want money to make the course and appointments good. The very fact that the course is a public reserve means that all the profits made out of the meetings will go back to the people in the shape of improvements to the grounds. The racecourse was vested in the Domain Board in 1886 as a racecourse pure and simple. A great many people would be drawn from the Waikato County to this course if a permit were granted. We have a regatta here annually which attracts from ten thousand to fifteen thousand people, which indicates that a race meeting with a permit would also be a great attraction. The railway facilities are all that could be desired for landing people on the course. We are strongly of opinion that these country clubs are entitled to consideration, because they help to bring forward a good class of weight-carrying distance horses which perhaps do well afterwards at the bigger meetings. Whatawhata Racing Club. The headquarters of the club are at Whatawhata. The club was formed in 1875, and was registered in 1891. The last meeting was held in January, 1914. A list of the present members of the club and a copy of the last balance-sheet have been forwarded. The course is situated half a mile from the township. The circumference of the course is 7 furlongs, and it is perfectly flat. The tenure of the course is leasehold, with five years to run and right of renewal. There is no grandstand, but there is a horse-paddock and saddling-enclosure, stewards' room, and conveniences. The course is fenced on both sides up length of straight and enclosed all round. The nearest club using the totalizator is at Hamilton, ten miles distant. The nearest clubs not using the totalizator are the Pirongia Alexandra Club, eighteen miles away, and Kihikihi Club, twenty-five miles away. We consider we have a special claim not only on account of the length of time in existence, but we have never had a mark against us, and we are in the centre of a large dairying district where a number of sporting people reside and can attend to cows in the morning, attend races and witness a good day of clean racing, and get home in time to attend to dairying in the evening ; whereas if they had to go to the larger centres (which