NO RESPONSIBILITY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3133, 11 July 1917, Page 8

NO RESPONSIBILITY

MINISTER AT THE TROTTING CONFERENCE. Tho Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. W. Russell) attended tho Trotting Conference for a while yesterday, and made a brief statement on tho subject of tho reduction of racing days. Addressing Mr. Russell, the conferonco president (Mr. John Eowo) said thnt they found that tho curtailment of trotting amounted to about 33 per cent, instead of tho 33 1-3 per cent, agreed to. Tlie conference thought tho Government should be satisfied with tho taking of nineteen days of trotting, instead of twenty, and should restore tho meeting which had been taken from \Vestport. Mr. G. H. Gothard, the "\Yestport representative, said tho present arrangement would result in a 50 per cent, reduction of trotting on the West Coast. Mr. "Russell said that throughout the Dominion thoro had been strong piessnro brought on the Government that racing should not go on as usual while -1 lio war continued. The hugo sums going through the lotalisators bad been partly responsible for tho agitation. The Government, ns the representative if the people, was bound to take heed of (lie wishes of the people, and when Cabinet considered the matter he submitted a suggestion for a half reduction. The suggestion was agreed to. and 'the responsibility for what Westpoyt complained of did not rest with tho Goronmivnt, but with tlio racing authorities, who wei-o given the opportunity of >v irking out thn reduction for 1 res. Tfo accepted no responsibility, and was not prepared to ask Cabinet to give back a day. There were fifty-nine trotting days to be reduced, and one could v.ni: make nineteen a third of that total! He recognised the point of AVeslporf's romplaint, but tho responsibility did not lio with -tho Government.