Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1863

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 87, 6 February 1863, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1863

We notice with regret the growing feeling of division between “ Town” and “ Country.” We are at a loss to account in any satisfactory manner for this weak and silly state of things. Are we not all more or less intimately interested in the prosperity of this Province ? and are we not all and equally under an obligation founded upon that interest to endeavor to the utmost to promote a unity of action and good fellowship. Whence the origin of this division of interests we cannot divine, but come from what quarter it may, it is so manifestly childish and absurd that we cannot but feel sure but that upon more calm consideration of it such folly will be abandoned at once, and the Pro-' vince of Hawke’s Bay will be no longer disgraced by having added to the already considerably long list of her absurdities, this one most egregious of all. With the Native difficulty hanging like an avalanche just over our heads, ready to fall and crush us at any moment, with the yet more certain difficulty of the Provincial Revenue being utterly dried up, and with a variety of other equally cheering difiiculties to be got over, w r e stand in need just now of a perfectly good understanding amongst all classes of this community. This disunity of Town and Country had -well nigh spoiled the only public amusement which we have to enjoy by running foul of the Race Meeting, the promoters of that national sport being divided as to the days of meeting. Our Waipukurau friends determined to have their races in the same week and same month as that fixed for the Napier races, by reason of which piece of wisdom both meetings would have been entirely spoiled. This sort of thing ought not to be. True lovers of sport will do anything to promote sport, and it shows that a real appreciation for racing’s sake does not exist in certain quarters where we have a right to expect that it should. Until the gentlemen of Hawke’s Bay interested in racing join and form a Jockey

Club, nothing satisfactory can be ’ As -matters stand at present, there does not exist an authorised body to manage the business of racing, and as a matter of course the work falls on the shoulders of one'or two more active and energetic than the rest. This Jockey Club would have all the necessary powers and authority to make what arrangements would be found necessary,—appoint race meetings, determine the weights, distances, and all the rest of it, and by consequence, some sort of order would be established, and our races, instead of being insignificant assemblages for the purpose of winding divers unfortunate horses, would assume the shape and proportions of responsible and respectable meetings. The stewards of our meetings are irresponsible and selfelected, consequently they cannot wield the authority which under the circumstances they ought to wield. The thanks of those who enjoy a day’s racing are due to those gentlemen, notwithstanding, who take upon themselves this troublesome and thankless duty; hut it would be better for them, for the owners of horses, and for the jockeys, if the stewards were backed by a properly constituted association. If, then, these suggestions be adopted, it is to be hoped that the Waipukurau Races will be fixed to be held in February—an excellent month, where, on that delightful piece of turf good-naturedly allotted for the purpose by Mr. P. Russell, our young untried horses will be able to show us what stuff they are made of, preparatory to the final struggle for the season, when they may, if they can, carry off the heavy and more valuable stakes subscribed by the good folks of Napier. After which, all that assemblage of beauty and fashion for which our country brethren are celebrated for possessing, -who rival in their loveliness the flowers of summer, and who dim by their brilliancy the sparkling gems of Heaven, should meet, and under the ample roof of our House of Commons, which had bur lately echoed the eloquence of a Rhodes, a Carter, or a Wood, they, of whom the immortal Burns sung that— Auld Nature swears, the lovely dears, Her noblest work she classes, O! Her ’prentice ban’ she tried on man, And then she made the lassies, O ! should meet and trip their light fantastic toes until daylight dotli appear, and thus wind up a season which for good fellowship, good sport, and good cheer, would challenge the world to produce its like.