NO MID-WEEK RACING YET

Chronicle (Levin), 20 April 1946, Page 2

NO MID-WEEK RACING YET

FIRST THOUtiHTS MUST BE PRODUCTION WELLINGTON, April 19. A roqnest for the removal of tbo bnn on mid-week racing, has been refused bv the Governinout. The AI iuister ot Int ernal AlVairs, llon. A\ . E. Purry, stated lnst eveiiiag that the matter had reeeived the most careful eonsideration of the (tovernmeat whieh had viewed it from all angles but it was regietted that, while corrditioas remained as thev were at present, racing nmst be confined to Saturdays and publie holidavs. The Minister said it was recognised 1liat clubs on the one hand and owtiers. ( rainers and jockevs on the other, were ]uit to considerable ineonvenience whena meeting extemled over three -Satur davs with no intervening holiday. Nevertlieless, the iiational urgeney to produce I'oodstuH's and other goods so badly ueeded not oiily in New Zealauc. but also tbrougbout the world, was such that for the next few inonllis at an\ rate, there jnust. be as little in.terrup g tion as possible of the norma! working •- week. The lirst cut in raeing and trof ting was oue of 1--5 per cent. made in Februarv, 19-12. In April, 1942, the cut was increased to .10 per cent. and this contiim.ed'till the eonclusion of tlu war with .Tapan. Tn August, 1941, there was a restoration of 00 davs of racing ~ and trotting and in October. 15)41, th-* 5 Government agreed to t'ull restoration of the nuinber of davs on which tlu totalisator could be used, with the pro viso that meetings were to be held onlv on Saturdays and publie holidavs. li ha] been hoped that bet'ore this it would bave been ])ossible to permit n fnll return to normal. ^I-r, Parry paid tributc to the mannei

in whieh both racing and trotting authorities cooperated with tlie. Govern ment in all necessary restrictions in the interests of tlie national war eft'ort aiul said that nothing would give him great er pleasure tlian the removal of tlie ro inaining restriction. lle could not liobi out anv hope, howcver, that this would be in the very near future. While 'tlie rest of tlie world ueeded our produce literally to avoid starvation, our wliolo eff'ort must be direeted to pr.eventing anv interruption of essential work whieh inclnded not only production bu! also the bringing of ])roduee and goods to our ports and their shipment over seas as quiekly as humanlv possible.