COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1719, 9 April 1913, Page 7

COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS.

V STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER. (By Telegraph.—Spcoial Correspondent-.) Wanganui, April 8. During his visit to l'atea yesterday the Prituo Minister was waited upon uv a deputation from the Paten Racing ulub, mid askeil lor tho restoration of tho license taken away lrom tne l J atea Club as tlie result of tuo Racing Commission's recommendation. Mr. l'earce, M.P., -.'spoke strongly against the centralisation of sport, country people being'either compelled to gu without amusement of the kind, or obliged to seek their sport in the cities at considerable expense. Mr. Massey, in reply, said that, in his opinion, bo lar as racing was concerned, tne' law in this country was in a very -unsatisfactory condition. The Prime Minister traced the history of the movement, aud lio showed that, iu a very short tiino after' the bookmakers were legalised, cases were brought under tiio notice of the public by uicuus of the prosecutions of young fellows who had embezzled moneys to pay gUmbling debts. Parliament then weut to the other extreme. A Commission was set up, and, as a result, quite a number of country race meetings, that wero conducted purely for. tlie purposo of sport, and not for profit, or in tlio interests of . gambling, were ciit..outi , That was the question which they were face, to face with to-day. Mr. Massey said that his ■ sympathies were with the small country meetings conducted purely lor sport. So far as the Government were concerned in the matter, they had not yet had an opportunity of considering whether there would be any legislation introduced during the forthcoming session, but Parliament would unquestionably bo 'given an op- , portunity of expressing its opinion as to Whether some permits should be restored 1 to .certain country clubs, from which they had been taken. In matter of policy, one member of the Government could not commit all his colleagues, as a matter of fact, the Minister who had the administration of the Act was the Minister for Internal Affairs, and to him tho representation which had been made by the deputation would bo conveyed. He could promise, however, that when the House met he would embrace the opportunity of conferring with the ruem- ; bers of country districts, and it was quite possible that soule way out of the difficulty which had arisen inight present itself. ,Whnt hftd happened was very 1111t fair .to country clubs such, as Patea, but he wished to make it perfectly plain that he did not think that the solving of the problem would bs found in augmenting tho number of racing days.