RACING CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2515, 16 July 1915, Page 7

RACING CONFERENCE

THE THOROUGHBRED JXS VALUE FOR DEFENCE CLUBS AND WAR'FUNDS'

< f i®- ooaferanceof representatives ft Aow'Zealand Jockey Clubs commenced ,in Wellington yesterday -morning, the (Sir Geo. Clifford) being in ithe (chair. All the appointed representatives present with the l exception of Mr. >L. A. Nolan (Taranaki Jockey Club), who ;was unavoidably absent. i Tho statement, of as prin ted was adopted.

\ -President's Address. I In the coutss of his annual address, the :.president'6aid:—"The vitality of the sport . (of racing, with itho hold which it has iacquired as a'health-giving rccrcation. hag ; bean more strikingly -manifested than during the turbulent and anxious . (times of the past twelve.months. It has •- splayed' its ' part as a beneficial antidote iTO gloom and depression without detract•ing in ltbe -least from 'the determined i i«nergy with \yhich the Dominion " has 1 etrivenr:to assist thfe great cause of the jallieddilations. ' Its value as an adjunct . the defence .of the, Empire can' best be (realised- by : those .who know, the necessity |0f ' maintaining an .effective:cavalry and arKHeryV equipment, and . a reserve - for quickreinforcement when; the wastage . tof hoTses in' the Stress of a campaign begins to tell. The thoroughbred horse ia 'the foundation on which' the stamina: bf , tho oharger' and tho gunnery horse is tbuilt and it behoves every country to see ito it that a sufficient supply of such horses is available when required. .Whether this ''can be best accomplished by- Government •Btuds, as on (the Continent, or by private ■enterprise assisted by the State, is a question I need not enter into now, but it is ■ one for urgent consideration.' "We-may oongratulate racing clubs in 'general upon the liberality with which they 'have subscribed not., in 7 money alone, to ■:.the pressing necessities ofitho, hour. The jsum- paid in wish by them.ito the various ■ • war, funds is ' close on, if: it does not -ex-, ceeil, ,£15,000. Such - voluntary assistance ■ afforded by clubs best able to bear tho :burdeiu is preferable. to forced .'which:,may cripple strugglinginstitutions. . >.We should bear ia mind, that racing-con-i tributes'. to the: Consolidated Fund over w£100,000; in direct taxation levied, without cost.

; Conduct of tho Sport. .;■■■ "Tho-system of stipendiary stewards has .'well justified its establishment, and its Uiya oifr thanks to the gentlemen jwho now occupy ■ these positions for, the zeal'and •'tact with which they have fulfilled their In many. respects they have un.ostentatiously effected improvemenfa in vthe conduct: of the sport, and their nuiet advice; has often \ proved• valuable. : Some ißurvivals. ,of post evils are, however, be,yond their reach. . There 210 ;doubt'exists ; 'an; organisation enabling "bootmakers 'to •carry 011 .-illegal business with an. impimjity for: which the Postal Department may' jibe m; part responsible. The loyalty with (•which racing, clubs have accepted and enjueayMred. "to . carry' into: practice ; the' enactments of fhe Legislature deserves tho Recognition of . an effective enforcement j,orrthe present regulations regaa-ding pro- | liibitcd telegrams. Wo have set ourselveg jto the imposed "taslc, but wo,look to the •authorities to lend ns the assistance which 33 ( within their power.: ■1 '"rk e ' P TO P°?ition to appoint : racecourse .detectives demands careful, attention. It .(has' two; advantages First: That' it will .cost less than the present hand-to-mouth arrangements; and, secondly, that ib will convince: the sceptical that we are in ear.•nest. The presence of a crowd will always of itself attract the army, of outlaws, and our: duty is .to arm: that species .of :outlaw invading' the .racecourse' crowd. j-The police force cannot adequately proitect . us: and, in any case; needs -special information for the purpose of guarding tho ,;and : , especially .our - own' serr :i,yants,y'fi i om : the intrusion.of spielers and jguessers:, Beyond the mere' attainment jof peace, from; these folk, we are bound Ito counteract- the insidious operations-o£ Whe professional betting, man, as . that' 15 (tho legislative condition upon '.which wo j "possess,bur "totalisator privileges,:;

Prohibitions inviting Removal, t - "A, noteworthy, event if the year has (been the extension of.totaiisator permits <o';a certain, number of single day - and liuit club meetings. These permits will, in most, cases, fill the requirements of districts hitherto isolated,, and-'wo may express our ' gratitude for .. tho . concession, ; which is an acknowledgment of the mistake in previous restriction. . Other prohibitions inviting 'are the refusal to allow the publication of totaiisator figures, , and. the limitation' of "totaiisator | • [investments to»actual■ spectators of the facing.' These; provisions are worse than f'jiseless/. as j-they lead' ' to. ridiculous' positions)'.'and actually have the tevecse effect to that intended. . ' ; "I cannot conclude without expressing jthe hope that a speedy and favourable conclusion of thopresent iniquitous'attack upon the Empire may soon restore the happiness of "v this community, ■ and of the whole world. So only can wo kpursuo the normal tenor of' our 'lives the cloud which oppresses all our actions and all our thoughts." '' ■■ ■ Facilities Open to Bookmakers. The report of the ;Stinendiary Stewards* Committee mentioned that there had been a further improvement in the 'control •and management of race meetings,, and ;statcd; that during the season many valuable additions had been made to tbcoappointments, while others were in (progress. The committee was • pleased to .state that there had been a marked improvement 'in regard ' to ■ interference in .•ruoning; ; Regret was, expressed that a ygreat.number of regular, riders still persisted in tho ridiculous craze for tha 'short. 6tirrup, which, had'also"i6pread ; to In considerable extent, to the hurdle and (steeplechase riders. ' Officials of racing clubs throughout the Dominion were reported to be competent and efficient. "In the opinion of tho stipendiary stewards" ccicluded the report,, "there has been a considerable volume of tokmaking duiing the latter part of this, season, and. «ve desire to strongly urge that the conforence meet the Minister of Justice forthAvitb,' and devise some more effectual adjniuistration of the law in the direction of suppressing 'this illegal system of gamWing. The-facilities open to bookmakers (through the misuse, of the Post and Teleigwph/Department ■ in respect to letter--boxes, .telephone connections to -hookimakers' 1 residences, : etc.,' are little short •of a'scandal." ■ I No discussion followed the reading ol |tho report, which, on' the motion of the 'president,-was adopted. '•:' . All members of tho Stipendiary Stew•awls'. Committee were Te-electcd for a •further term. j 1 Dates of Meetings. The dates of racing which had b9en applied for were approved subject to certain exceptions and amendments. Theso ■exceptions affected several meetings in and near the Wellington Racing Discriot. Tho Horowhenua Hack Racing Club was ■granted September 30. The letter received ' from the Wanganui Jockoy Club objecting to the Otaki Maori Racing Club's September dates could not be considered as it was not lodged within 11 days of tho 'meeting of ithe Dates Committee. The Marlborough Racing Club's objection to the amended application of the AshlmrstPohangina Racing Club for November 24 was upheld, and the Ashhurst Club is to be asked to select another date to tho ■satisfaction of the president. The Mannj.watu Rating. Club is to be asked to select vdaltes for their December meeting, so that jjhti third day be not later than December 29. ' ■•The "Manawatu Racing Club, was fronted April 12 and 13 for tho Autumn leeting. "The Gisborne" Racing Club was jrraiited 'Juriß 15 and 17, and the Hawko's Bay Jockey Club June 30 and. July 1, in lieu of June 16 and 17, as both clubs had ■'mutually agreed to these dates. * I Among the clubs, whose certificates of Vegistration were cancelled, were the following m the Wellington district Lower iVal!6y • J.C.,- Shannon H.R.C., and WaiItaiae H.R.C. (now formed into the Wai-i-inao' Hunt Club). : On the recommendation of the Dates "Committee, it. was resolved: "That, pro•jvided affiliation is eranted the WaikanaO

Hunt_ Clul> by the New Zealand Hunts Association, registration be granted under tho Rules of Eacmg."'' . As no extra days of racing were available, tho applications of tiift TaratahiOartcrton and tho Te Kuiti Racing Clubs for estra days could not bo granted, Members of the Dates Committee wore re-elected for a-further term.

. Amendments to Rules, No fewor than forty-three notices of motion to amend the' rules were consid--01-0(1 by tho conference,' but all the proposals involving-drastic amendments were rejected - or;withdrawn, on account of strong opposition. Some of the pi'oposals Defers) the conference are given below. An addition to Part I, Rule 1, was carried providing that '"breeder''means the ownor of a mare at time of foaling." On the recommendation of the Appeal b" Pw certain additions were made to •j' • ' to place tho decisions of judicial committees on a proper footing. tt A -. ; 's e rule-'was passed providing that no handicap for three-year-olds and upwards snail be run over a distanco of less than, five furlongs." . I>aok of the required' three-fourths majority defeated an effort by the Taranalti Jockey Club, to abolish tho "Sloan" style of rimnp.ip hurdle Taees or, steeplechases, the voting was: Ayes, 21; noes, 14. _ A proposal by the Dunedin Jockey Club to increase the minimum weight in handicap flat raoes to 7stv was rejected by the conference, as was a proposal by the Stipendiary Stewards' Committee to leave the matter, of giuuting licenses to a licensing committee of the: conference.'

To . bring the rules into line with those of the English Jockey Club, the conference niade it compulsory for every horse" to bo "ridden, in front of the stand, its directed ■by the stewards, before going to tho post."

Tlia rule regarding tli" agreement of apprenticeship was altered so that the employer, instead-of receiving" two-thirds of the apprentice's riding fees as at present, will in future receive only-one-half, the other half to -be paid .to the apprentice, less the fines which mnv be deducted by the secretary of the Racing Conference. At-the;request of the Stipendiary Stewards' Committee, the president brought; forward the. following proposal course detectives shall be appointed . .by' the New Zealand"Eacing Conference,' or by the committee thereof nominated for that -purpose, ond. with • such powers,' and subject to such regulations ns may. from time to time be conferred or approved by the conference." After a full discussion the proposal was negatived, by. 18 votes to 15. ■