HUNT CLUB POINT-TO-POINT

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 216, 4 August 1939, Page 3

HUNT CLUB POINT-TO-POINT

Sir,—As a humble member of the Hunt Club, I would like to endorse everything said by the master, Ml 1 . C. T. Clark, in reply to “General l’ublio.” ami to mention one cr two points which Air. -(Mark, no doubt for reasons of space, did not toiieh noon. There is a number of errors in “General Public’s letter. He is quite wrong in saying that only ten per cent, of the horses are hard led. Of the horse.s regularly hunted less than ten per cent, are not hard l led. I his is obvious from the number of followers whose horses are kept in the Borough. to say nothing of the others. Similarly incorrect is “General Public's” statement that all the hunt members can afford to feed their horses from the close of the season at the end of August to Labour Day. Book at the number of young followers there are in the Club. M hen one

considers that the most valuable prize in nay one event, lias been a cup valued at £3 3s, it is a bit to expect , the hunt members to continue hard feeding their horses for an extra five weeks after the date now fixed, to suit .“General Public”. Most of the owners enter their horses for the’ sport of the thing, and aie very content to win a. trophy valued at even a guinea. I. am sure that all hunt clubs work in with the business people and.the general public in their districts. Yet fdo not know ef a single point to point which is held as late as Labour Day, which is a Dominion-wide holiday, 'lb.-, Auckland' W'oekliV photographs show that .many of them have already been, held. The Poverty Pay Cluh finished hunting next Saturday, and its point to point is being held the following Saturday. That the earlier xkitei iixud for our own point to point last y.giiT and this .tear suits the farmers is shown by the fact the majority of tin: members of our committee are farmers—though ccrtaihly our president and past president are very amateur ones'. H,a.s General Public” considered the fact that’oiir point to point is held on private property, and that wo are not likely to retain the goodwill of Messrs. Reicl Pros, if in order t«i hold (.nr meeting in Labour Day, we have to ask tlie.ik if we can mow their spring grass ? There are, several other (points L v.-puld like to take ‘‘General - Public”

ul}'j on, but' am afraid I would take up too much space. But lie lias one idea I can’t let pass. “General Public” speaks of the Jockey Club’s contribution to thci Hunt Club funds, and then calls this public money. If it is public money, then lie has no complaint, because! every penny of it is spent, in tiie town, together with a good deal. more. Since, however, the Jockey Club’s funds were not made up of-gifts or donations from the general public, but represented! the C lub’s profit on moneys paid by members of the public for value- received (let us hope !), those funds are no more public money than arc the profits of any trading concern which depends o'u the general public (or should 1 say General Public!-') such as, say, cue of our local mercantile firms.