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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 205, 28 June 1894, Page 4

One of the new rules to be advocated by Mr Alison provides that no nomination or acceptance shall be rendered void in consequence of telegraphic interruption, provided that such nomination or acceptance shall have been lodged at any telegraphic station one hour before the time of closing of such nomination or acceptance. At present the only rule bearing on the subject runs:—The list of entries shall be closed at the advertised time, and no entry shall be permitted in any case or on any terms to be made after that time.” Such a rule is all- very well in ordinary cases, but that extraordinary cases occur is shown by the Great Autumn and Great Easter Handicaps run at the Autumn Meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club. It will be remembered that through no fault of their owners seve nracehorses were debarred from contesting the Great Easter Handicap, and a quartette was excluded from the Great Autumn Handicap. The telegraph broke down, and so the owners of those horses had all their preparation in vain. This is neither fair to owners nor racing clubs, for the former have the work and expenditure of months made resultless, and the latter have a source of revenue cut away from them. No owner should be held responsible for the vagaries of the telegraph department. He hands in his nomination in plenty of time to have it telegraphed, and having done that he has every right to. consider himself entitled to start his animal. It may be said he should guard himself against the telegraph by sending his nomination or acceptance by post, but he may wish to have the results of a late trial to guide him in determiinng whether or not his animal has a chance of winning if nominated or accepted for. As we once before pointed out one way out of the difficulty would be found if the metropolitan clubs appointed agents in every big centre for the lodging of nominations and acceptances. No erratic telegraphing would then affect owners. Mr Alison’s proposition, however, would do equally well, and we commend it to the favourable consideration of the Conference.