HAVELOCK RACES AT HASTINGS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3199, 29 September 1881, Page 2

HAVELOCK RACES AT HASTINGS.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph. ] Sir, —I have been for many years a member of and subscriber to the Havelock race meetings, which, as " Progress (?) " remarks in his letter to the Hawke'a Bay Herald, have been well conducted and popular, and so far I agree with him. But when he epeaks of the proposed race meeting at Hastings as the Havelock races lam astonished at his consummate impudence, knowing as he must, and as I do, that the Jockey Clab's influence, and the renegade members of the Bacing and Havelock Clubs, have deliberately conspired to take advantage of certain circumstances, and prevent if possible our little township's annual meeting. In this they have been entirely successful, so much so, in fact, that I believe every Havelock resident will agree with me when I state that at least a fortnight ago all idea of holding our meeting was abandoned ; and in justice to the Racing Club, I must say that they fully satisfied themselves of that by communication with me and other Havelock residents before they ffxed upon Boxing Day for their summer meeting. Such being the case the Racing Club had a perfect right to occupy that day, and instead of our people looking upon them as being opposed to us we are satisfied that the reverse is actually the case, as many of their members have been annual subscribers to our races, and they have signified their willingness to leave Boxing Day open to us whenever we will be in a position to hold a meeting. In conclusion I must add that I am thoroughly disgusted with the conduct of certain busy bodies in connection with the bo-called Havelock races, but am not astonished when I consider their" previous renegade conduct with regard to other clubs. To do what "Progress (?)" (being no doubt well versed in such matters) describes as crawling and banging on to the skirts of the Jockey Club, in anticipation of benefits to be received, when "Progress" attributes such conduct to members of the Racing Club it must be to divert attention from himself —he can have no other reason.—l am, &c,

An old Havelock Resident, September 29, 1881.