PICNIC RACING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1498, 22 July 1912, Page 7

PICNIC RACING.

CASE FOR COUNTRY CLUBS.

ANOTHER PRIVATE B.UL,

WITUDE OF THE GOVERNMENT.

Th* grievances of country racing clubsWere laid beforo the Prime Minister (tho Hon. W. F. Mnsscy) and tho Minister ■for Internal Affairs (the , Hon. H. D. Sell) on Saturday by a deputation consisting ,ot the delegates to tho Couutry .parrythe.questions upon whichMhcy bad lion was introduced by Mr. D. H. Guthrie, member for Oroun. v .Mr. A. Bruce (Thames) said' that, beSore stating tho business of tho deputai tion; he would like to congratulate tho iPrime Minister on tho position ho now tocdupied. They wished to keep clear'of party questions upon which they had ; come to make representations, • but as sportsmen they congratulated him on tho ; fight he had put up. The deputation rejprosented country racing clubs from ond .••to end of New Zealand. • For two years wsp th'ey had bsan encaged in a battle to g&t what they considered their rights . —the restoration of the racing days lost by them two years previously—as they, thought, by hysterical legislation. Legislation of this kind always left a lot of irritation behind it. They recognised 'that they had a difficult question to deal Tritt, about which there was a. good deal 'of division of opinion. There were theso ,'lvlio could not see that country peoplo Wold get a day's, pleasure by running ttivo or three horses.

, . A Day of Daysi Tho country people looked upon their lace day.as the one. day of the year when they ocrald all meet "on a common platform," and enjoy a day's racing. He had lattended a good many country meetlines in.his day, and had never known 'any harm done at thorn. He had known more, harm done at a Sunday school picnic than.ho had ever known to occur ot a country face meeting. He contended that an in justice had been done in cutting down the days of racing when the population had increased by leaps and 'Sounds. The people of his district had 'no desire to-race ou more days than they lad formerly been granted J>°™vte for -and against the assertion that oonntrj xaca : meetings led to too milch gambling "as to be set the fact that tho number 'of these meetings had been restricted by the. opinion of the people. ,For tuo y«ars ■kbW lad been .fighting, as earnest men, tfor their 1 rights. He. did not think (that there was one gambler amongst Hhem in the sense that ho made his liv■SToif of racing, and could see nothing V?se in life. Probably the Prime Minis*„„sut as conversant with this matJer S™£ the members, of the deputation, and he (Mr. Bruce) Relieved that key had come to speak to as3™patheth o W-to a man who desired to .see fair Say and justice. It was the mteabon of the country clubs to promote a Bill for tho restoration of their Tight?. , He W promoted one twelve months previoiu'3y, but had not got it through. He did Vot speak in any .threatening, sense, bu they were determined men.; If the am were thrown ont this year it would turn •up again like a good old hardy annual. Tt was a matter of an injustice that hart ■'been" done, and .they wanted to got it righted. ... ~ "' j A Non-Party Matter. I They would not ask the Government to rtake up'tho Bill-they wished the matter "to be a non-party onc-but they asked 'that the Bill should be given fair play, mod-that if-members of the House ■«« ' U opinion that it should lie passed, no ob tetruotion should bo placed in its way, so War as the Government were concerned, frhey had taken up that line twelve &onths ago, and they adhered to. it. /They asked that the Bill should be given W opportunity of passing into. law it a majority of members approved it. : I Mr S; W. B. Evans. (We9t. Const) trapVrted had-'saidyopartica-fatly in regard to the treatmonHnat the proposed" Bill should receive from the (Govornmorifc- -When the- legislation settin" iip r the Babing-Commission'was -passed, Mr. Evans remarked, it was understood that it was only to stand for a year, fend'-that afterwards there should be a Verio*. The year had gone,;and now >th6y"'had come (o ask for justice. They 'did ; riot think their request unreasonable. With the abolition of non-totollsator clubs Mere hadbeen a very material reduotion of racing. The question had'been before the country now for two years, so ■ .that members were fully conversant with Ut, and a'right decision could be given. '..He did riot agree with Mr.. Bruce that ifche Bill would come up as a hardy animal if it were rejected this year.. .Tnoy 'desired -that the Bill should life given a ■fair deal." Ho believed that if members ihad a fair opportunity of dealing with it, t*he country clubs would be satisfied.. Mr. G. Earner (Kaikoura) said that th; attitude token un by the country club! L-was one of absolute accord with tn< (metropolitan clubs. It was a very fine thins for New Zealand that it had Suet a splendid body of men as, the representatives of the metropolitan . clubs. Th< '■►position'-taken im by the country .ehib> -Was that they deserved equal considera tion with the metropolitan clubs. Tht Kxrantry clubs, country people, and coun fey horses helped 'to make the mett'opon dan clubs a success. ~

' Centralisation an Evil. / lit. J. Buchanan (Waitara) said ho fthought tho. one-day clubs. should be reSnstaM. Centralising of racing, meant the ccntttalising of gambling. • Coimtry Meetings could not bo called, eamblmz iTOeetmgsrthej- wore more an the shape !.of big picnics. Ho also pointed out that Lcountry racing clubs made no ettort to Vton' those who were against horso racing enjoying their particular form ot FpoTt.' Another point he urged was ni (regard to farm employees. They had to feet their day's sport and if they could snot get if in the country thoy would go jto the- cities for it and needless to say }the unsophisticated would find themselves tin- the hands of tho Philistines. Another ipoint he made was that many of their *est horses had made their, debut on country racecourses. - Mr. J. M'Ardle (Pahiatua) drew a pic■iaro of the extensive. area, in his district •that was now without a race meeting. iTwoiity years ago there was heavy bush '(where their racecourse now was, but the eettlera who for 30 years had endured .the hardships of pioneering had felled the bush and spent largo sum l ! of money in making a. course. The Pohiatua Club (had. been a credit to the Dominion and ■■under all the circumstances it was unfair that it. should now have its sport (curtailed. If the people in the country '«ottld not have a day's sport they would pave to go into the towivs for it. That Si-as not making country life attractive. Bis club had spent JCSOOO in stumping Sand arid improving it for a course and (there wa-s now' a .£I7OO liability on tho Vhoulders of tho stewards as well as debentures for JUOO which constituted nractecally a third mortgage. ! Mr. C. H. Mills (Koikoura) said his [district was 45 miles from the nearest racecourse which was at Cheviot and'they had a. tremendous lot of rivers of a very Sangeffcras character to cross before they could got there. There were also'slips Cn tho Toad and the steamer facilities jwero very poor. It had taken him throe Ways to get from Kaikoura lo Ward before he could' 1 get a train to Blenheim. ,The centralising of racing meant, an exipense to poor people in compelling them to go long distances for their sport. By /means of tho cheap farss farm labourer? •were enticed to the cities.and when they got there thoy did not. want to ramo back again. It was driving people from the country to tho towns. Mr.-.T. H. Escott, member for'Pahiha, fcua, said that he would support the proposed .private Bill if it gave a preference to country clubs, but there must be nc increase in the number of permits. II this was proposed lie would oppose th< Bill.

MINISTERS IN REPLY.' BILL WILL GET A. FAIR RUN. Mi, -Massey, in replying, thanked the Zenbiation for their congratulations and lor the reasonable and moderate manner in which they had expressed their views aM'made their requests. It had been stated that the arrangement that had been made was for twelve months only. That was so only in so far as adjustment was concerted, but the number of days lad'been fixed'at 250, and that could be Jnltered only by legislation,-' In .regard

to tho hardship upon country clubs he. as a country member, recognised that thoroughly. In a number of instances hardships wero no doubt inflicted. It was tho intention of tho country clubs to plomoto a Bill to put matters right and thv> hope had been expressed that it wodd not be niado a party question. Ho wouijd give them a promise to that effect right awuy. So far as tho Government was concerned there would bo no such attempt Kvory member of the House would ho free to -roto as he thought (it on tho subject. He was glad they hod not requested tho Government to introduco legislation. By tho introduction of a private Hill they would Lo ablo to get tho attitude taken up by Parliament generally. So far as the Government was concerned, it was in favnur of promoting geniiiiio sport, and would place no difficulties in the way of it. As to tho class of horses bred in the country, they were, all no doubt proud of tftat, as Now Zealand torses had made a. maune. for themselves, not only in this coumtrv. but also in Australia, in England, iond in America. He hoped that in Hut future they would breed just as good Horses as they had bred during the last Monty years, and he hoped that as time vlent on that, without any eucour-agcmei-k to gambling they would be ablo : . to mnkv arrangements satisfactory to all concerned. (Applause) , 'Tho Hon. H. D. Hell said that the I Prime Minister hod spoken for the Government,, and ho (Mr. Hell) was entirely in - accord with what Mr. Masscy had ' said., His Department was in control of racing, and he would be most happy to transfer it to any other Department. Like licensing, racing was a non-party question, 'and tho fate- of tho proposed Bill would depend upon the attitude taken up by "individual members. ■ Mr. E. W. Alison (Takapuna) asked whether the deputation had an assurance tlVat Parliament would be given a fair oiwortunity to decide for or against the Atr. Massey said that he thought that ho had mado himself clear on that point. The Bill'would get a square deal and a Mr. Bruce returned thanks for the manner in which the deputation lad been received , . - .