RACING CLUBS

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1445, 21 May 1912, Page 3

RACING CLUBS

♦ PAHIATUA'S LOST PER? THE VALUE OF HUNT CI ; I One of Hie country racing c-l stand-; to be cxtiiiKiiisliocl tiirou ' . Hon of the Racing Commission . ing the discontinuance of the ■'■ > permits is the Vtihintiin Hnt ■;. «"hieh lins been accustomed to 1, '■' •lays' inceling in January. In

of Siivinjr ji- ( ~ deputation waited I Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. ■■... Rii.-.-elb yesterday afternoon, when the case for the club* was argued liv Messrs. •lames Breeds (president of the Paliialun Racing Club), W. W. M'Cardie (Mayor if I'ahialua), .1. M'Cardle (steward of the I'ahiatua Racing Club), and .1. Sweeney (representing the Woodlands Hunt Club). The deputation was introduced by Mr, LVcolt, The deputation stated that the club had spent .OTS on the course, and its present liabilities were JCl'JdO. The club claimed that its racing had always been conducted on straight Hues, and that the club had a just claim to reinstatement. It had paid oul in stakes during the last Tonr years -SHOO, and it had one of the best courses in the North Island. It was added that the Racing Commission spoilt only about a quarter of an hour on the course, and the officials had no opportunity of putting tli? position before tliem. The Minister said, in reply, that he was sorry he could not give a definite answer at once. If was provided by the. Act under which the Racing Commission operated that its report should have effect until July 31, 1012, a period of one year. He was not issuing at present any permits for meetings later than that date. The matter had to come before Cabinet, so that the united Cabinet might lay down a line of policy. He would bring it before Cabinet at once, and if Cabinet decided that the matter should be reopened—or, in other words, that the Commission's report should not be continued beyond July 31— ha would take the ease of Pahiatua into immediate consideration. It appeared to be a typical case that was not taken into consideration by the Comniis.sion. The distance of I'ahiatua from Woodvillo and from Dannevirke indicated to him that there was room for consideration of the case that I'ahiatua undoubtedly had... The whole question would be brought before Cnbinet'tliis week, and as soon as Cabinet came to a decision he would be prepared to go into the matter if permission was given him by Cabinet to do so. The case of Pahiatua' was typical of many others, and though he was no! prepared to support the wholesale creation of mushroom meetings, he thought legislation should not stand in the Way of a district like theirs having u gathering where they could have their picnic and their horseracing. He was very favourably impressed by what Mr.' Sweeney had said of the co-operation between the Racing Club and the Hunt Club. Some applications relating to similar circumstances had come before liini, and he had recommended Cabinet that hunt chibs should receive some special encouragement, and that if this could not be done by totalisator permits it should be done by offering special prizes at agricultural snows, or in some other way. They ought to encourage the breeding of weight-carriers and such horses as were seen in the show-rings rather than in sprint racing. If we wanted to be able to help the Mother Country in a time of emergency by supplying 5000 or 10,000 horses, then it was to hunting and the hunt clubs that we must look. All the racing clubs that wished for permits should send in their applications, and as soon as the Local Government Conference was over he would be able to tackle this and other matters. He would not keep them more than two or three weeks in suspense. His sympathies were strongly in favour of the country clubs.