Successful Racing Says Conference President

Chronicle (Levin), 17 July 1948, Page 6

Successful Racing Says Conference President

" Once more we liave. experieneed ayery successful season's racing, ^tuU tlic fc'uli coiuplemeixt of totalisator. permits. tias been used, tlioug'h bad weather did f;oree two or tliree, elubs to postpoue their nieefiugs. ^Thfe, and the, fact .thju raciag ia still in the nvain • coniined:. to Saturdays and pufrliQ.holidays, . entailed a ' certain ahiotint.-ot' clashing, pju;.ticulai^y -at the end: of the* sea-son. llowever, as a general ruie, the clubs eoncerned have realised that the. claahing is 'unavoidable, that the presidenc- an'.iexecutive ■ committee have a diificull and- unenviable tusk in arranging the dates, and have, with* very few - exeeptions," accepted" the deeisions given in a spor-tiilg spirit. Ta-the few clubs wlifc-h still appear to think' that* tlieii partlcular racc day • should be^entirei.v theirs,- I would a*sk for a * Jittle mwo tolerance, " stated the president, Mr. lt. R. Ghalmers, in his annual reporl to the New Zealand Itaeing Conference. Mr. Chalmers, dealing with tlit Ganiing Goinmission, said: "By-far the most iniportant event of the yoar?"'-so tar as ltacing and trotting are * cbn . cerned, was the report of the Ganiing Coniniission. ' Briefly, the 'subinissioiift put before the Coimuission by your executive were as follow: — (I) That thc present administnitiou and control of racing is approved by niosi racing people, and should not be interfered with. 12) That thc ltacing Conference hnd tiie racing clubs are very detiniteiy opposed to the lice'nsiiig of ' bookmakers. ' ' * (."») That ltacing Conference 'and clubs are in ftfvour of givi'ug 'the 'oll'course public'sonie nteaiis of betting on Ihe totalisator. . ! (4) That autliority to operate a doublcs toialisatoi* is nceded. (.1) That tlicre should be no prolbbitioh in publication of dividends. (0) That autliority should De givon for 2U additional totalisator pernnls u bc issued at the discretion of the Minister of Internal AH'airs On thc reconiniendatioii of the .Racing Conference. (7) That racing clubs* be granted exemption from Income and Kationai and fSoeial Becurity Tax ofher thau in respect of incouie from investments and farming operations, and that the relwte on totalisator tax be increased to 5 per ceut. on the lirst £26,000 of totalisator investments. "The lirst live of these suimnssion-.' received favourable . recommendation froni the Coni-niissionc- — - "Our subinission in regard to additiona^.t -tpt atifeatt)r , pprmits *vfto not recoihih'eildedj u^iil#s©ur submission regarding taxation received?. a modified recommendtlilftri, rjsadihg^ 8^]follows : " 'Iielief from taxatlon be extendeU to each club until it has aecuinnlateu 'a fund wliich may reasonably be r1. - garded as sufficient to enable it to provide or linauce with reasonable comfort the amenities wliich it should provide.'1^*' "The Oommission 's report was published in- January, and a copy was sem by the conference to eacn* xotausatp:* club. On the whole, the report must. be regaydecl as satisfactdry, to. racing; in. ter.ests, tEough there arp 'jjaaay things in 't'he re]Vort witli., which [ do not agre.e, and.'to which I ieeY'sure you. .will aisu oliject. , ' ','IIowever, in our submissions t,w stood out.as being of major iinportance. . "Firstly, that thc cxistlng system oi administration and control of racing was satisfactory, and should l>-» per mitted to continue without outaide iaterference, and secondly, tliat iu-casiiig of bookmakers to opeiatc either on or oll' the course should be opposed.