WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1932, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

RACmC FINANCE. ’ # Vs/i A V .i .!• • •’£*, \i ll ■■■ ;'* ' . DECLINING REVENUE. WELLINGTON, September 16. It goes without saying 'that- -by virtue of its central '' position, its ’ wide .vision and its: sustained effort the 1 Wellington Racing Club has .established ..itself as- the foremost institution.' of its kind in an outpost ;of the Empire which for many -years was largely dependent, upon the horse, not only , for its. transport, but also for its protection and expansion'-, Tim first organised; racing' in ;the young' colony.;;, took place; on the , long; pt.retch oLPetorie .’Bedcli on .’October interesting -to,-; find ,in; Mr ..Edward .. .Jerningham Wakefield’s . • stirring, acteount of the day’s , proceedings such abiding, names as Watt; - { Moles- . worth, Bannister, Virtue, Hunter,; . . Buckley, Revans and others of active participants in . the day’s sport. Nelson, in the following year, was the next; of the budding. provinces to treat itself. to an organised,-; race meeting, While Wanganui ..followed in 1848, tw<yor three years in advance of Canterbury ’and. Auckland, with Otago to follow in. the £arly sixties-.-.. ... , A FRANK STATEMENT.

Everyone whoknowh anything at all about racing is awar’e of the , fact that .the sport has ■ undergone ’ many changes. .since that gathering on the Petoile Beach jqpt upon, ninety years ago. -For one thing it isri. much, less of a. mere sport to-day, arid much, mere of a business, than it was-in .1842. To-day the Wellington Club has . a very Cap.able ; president, in ;;MrE. : ,L-' Riddifardy supported by a fully ’ informed committee and an admirably discipliried body of assistants,,', a staff - .worthy of the magnitude of its undertakings. -But the World’s “slump” asHhe presiy dent stated at the annual meeting oi members of the club the- ot-hen day, has upset, more or less, all the racing clubs in the Dominion, and jt-remains with the clubs to extricate themselves as- well they may ! from the difficulties in which they are involved. It -is this process of extrication that isworrying the great majority iof the' 'clubs -at the present time.

FINANCIAL TROUBLES. Mr Riddiford was quite frank in conveying'- to the members of the'-Welling-toii club the difficulties by . Which the executive was confronted The very considerable liability undertaken personally by* members need not be mentioned here, but there will be no -impropriety in stating that it reached a very substantial, Suv.V., ‘‘While the club has been able to’ reduce Substantially the loss - this year fif compared with that of last year’,.’’; the jjl'esiden t confided to tile rnember's, “iitfwas rignificant that this 'result ; has been pbtafned only 'by reducing, stakes by £12'190 arid gfineral expenses by £4, 212, a tojbal of £16,402; while on the oflier side of ’tfie ledger the net totalTsaitor l-eyenue hasfallpiv by, ■ £4,479 , and ; general: receipts by ; £64.17,. a total of 81'0,869.’y. Jijfri had personally placed the whole position Before the members of Cabinet and had given them . tof understand, that without;further assistance’.many of the clubs might be compelled to’ discontinue racing altogether. . ,

APPEAL TQ GOVERNMENT. The meeting concluded with an appeal' to the>, Governmefft for "further concessions towards iricreuaing the revenue of' both .the .racing' clubs 'and the State. • Jt> urged tlie introduction of legislation during the approaching session of, Parliairient legalising the double totalizator, telegraphing, investments ‘to racecourses, and f . publishing the amounts of dividends outside the racecourse as well as in. There would be -no reasonable! objection .to these concessions were they -/associated with a provision strictly prohibiting the operations of bookmakers iii any shape or form or place: That a provision of this kind could be effectually ;enforced,. Werh it-, honestly applied, , has been demonstrated over , and over again, and werd it brought about by the disinterested efforts of the racing clu s these bodies would- be able to conr* . gratulate themslves upon .having freed the .community of . a most .undesirable scourge. , It is ’to be hoped that the efforts of the Wellington Club , will be endorsed by its .contemporaries.