MASTERTON TROTTING CLUB.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1574, 24 June 1920, Page 9

MASTERTON TROTTING CLUB.

REQUEST FOR A PERMIT. A deputation from (he Masterton Trotting Club, introduced by Mr. G. R. Sykes, M.P., waited upon the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. G. J. . Anderson, last week. The deputation comprised Messrs. Traill (chairman of the club), A. Hathaway (secretary), Compton, and Hodgins. Mr. Traill said that the club was formed twelve months ago and had now 500 members, thus showing the demand for that class of entertainment in the district. The deputation desired to apply, on behalf of the club, for a permit to use the totalisator at its annual meeting. In support of the application he pointed out that Masterton has a population of 7000. and that the nearest trotting meeting with a totalisator permit was held at Tauherenikau. 25 miles to the south, while the neal’est in the north was at Palmerston North, about SO miles away. The trotting meeting would be held on the Masterton racecourse, which the Racing Club had allowed them the full use of, provided a totalisator permit was obtained by the club. The Minister expressed his pleasure at meeting the deputation, and said that he was anxious to get all the information possible in regard to racing. The question of the issue of totalisator permits was a difficult one to decide. He did not want to see racing injured. The whole matter of totalisator permits would require to be considered by Cabinet, and the representations they had made, together with the applications already received would be given consideration. It would be. a matter for Parliament to say whether the number of permits was to be increased or not; but, in any case, he thought that it might be necessary for a redistribution of the present permits to be made. In this connection, he referred to the fact that many racing clubs had been established years ago in centres where the population was fairly large, but now the population of those districts had dwindled down considerably .