THE MISMANAGEMENT OF THE MANAWATU MOB.

NZ Truth, Issue 132, 28 December 1907, Page 2

THE MISMANAGEMENT OF THE MANAWATU MOB.

A ; Motley Mass of Miserly Muddlersi , i. ._■■ ■■ . ' ''•■■;-■ ■ ; _i . ■ : ■•_': -■ ■■ ;- The singular fatuity qi". Manawatu R.C.,> whose haughty stewards sought to break the, spirit of the .silly- Gfanving and- h;O^keiiea- Act /by imposingprohibitive- restrictions On' 'the unfortunate pencillers, "was emphasised on :the first day <of th'p arfogslnt Club's Summer meeting, when the paltry sum of £10,914 was put through, 1 showing a diminution of several thousands on the off-day total of last year. This is evidence sufficient, v if evidence were required, that the <pu&ters A are * with- the hooks : ih their view of the Manuwatu Club's high-handed action, and refuse to extenti their patronage to a -body' whose successes m the past have turned the heads ' of its promoters. . '!; 1 The meeting was very badly managed, and if the club is 'to maintain its position m the . racing world, it will be necessary' for it to get a, new secretary" to replace the incapable, inept, injudicious, irresponsible and irritating dyspeptic whose blastiferous bloomers are prejudicing the 'welfare of the, club. ' '■■'. This'tactl'ess v trifler with the: club's reputation as.a sound, and stable organisation is invested with' top much executive power, that should be wielded .by the committee and not by an autocratic and disastrous personage of the Johnston type. Although the diminished receipts from the .totalisator may not be entirely due to the awfulness of John.ston, ■still m a very large measure the fact that the club has such a calamity engaged m secretarial work must have largely contributed to the discouraging result. . Several sections of the new Gaming Act were flagrantly violated during the day, hiit m the end this will tell very heavily against the club, and "Truth" prophesies that m future they will be found with a two days' meeting at Xmas time, and not three days as m the past. Thel totalisator staff were all at sea, an-tl several gross blunders were made during the day. Clause 19, part XXX. of the Rules of Racing reads as follows : — No Steward,. Starter, or other official" shall .delay . the start o£ any race ( after the advertised time for stariinjr lot (he- purpose o f allow hi (; i further time for investment of nwm-

ey on the Toialisator, and any person - committing a breach of "Hiis. rule may be, fined by the Stew- 1 aids or Committee of the Club, ox by the Metropolitan : Committee, m a .sum not. exceeding whe-: ther the complaint shall or shall not 'have been made at the Race Meeting at .whiiph the breach was committed. Despite this the races were m several instances started fifteen minutes late, and m the Terrace Hack Welter the totalisator Was open twenty minutes after the advertised . time of i starting. "Truth" her.ewith, directs the Metropolitan Club to do its duty and fine this club, as the days of the j totalisator are. numbered, and the action of ttie M&nawatu Club , is "to toe - deprecated. ;•■■■ ."..■' ' ' Owing to -the club imposing ' the most' prohibitive' terms, only four bookmakers took out licenses. Herein again the Manawatu Club are cutting: their own throats. Parliament has distinctly legalised the bookmakers and stated m its most emphatic terms, that' they, are to get the same chance as the machine. Are they doing so ? Most certainly they arc not, and things will have to take a change or some of the hincoompoops who are at present ruling the clubs will wake up bfie morning and find that they have , ruled themselves out of existence. The Native Minister, the Hon. J as, Carroll, was present at the meeting, and is reported to have told the'club m plain, untarnished' language 'what ; -he thought oftheii: conduct: atod their"- attempt to defeat the Gummg Act.* Needless to. say, Vlyhe honor aWe genffclemaii will report adversely to his colleagues' at the next Cabinet meeting. Though :the Press were not notified of it, consequently it 'was not generally known that an enquiry was held into the running of William m the Summer Handicap, which HVTerrie Rose won from end to end m a couple ' of ticks over linin. 4lsec. The stewards were called" together on the com plaint of a steward' who evidently would be hotter., engaged presiding- :at an enquiry into" the con-! diiet of gay Lotharios had been, turjied out of hotels fot unseemly conduc'f, -sv iWi harm aid-s than m the deter-^ mihiVtipn' of- a racing dispute Needless to say," .the encfuifyi* was" t|uashod without' even calling*, any 'evidence, but this will servo to stiow what sort of people are acting' as' stewards today. • "■-, ■'■'•• ' ' > ' Tlio Mvmawatu Club cannot afford io discard the patronage of the public, whose absenc,<?. m large numbers on •■ jHie openinp; day was .couclusivo proof that punters' .sympathies are, with the, hoolv-maVcrs: It therefore, rests with the Palmerston organisation to mete oii.t .instice, however tavdy,, to live metallicians.