A LITTLE CLUB AT LEVIN.

Otaki Mail, 20 December 1922, Page 3

A LITTLE CLUB AT LEVIN.

RACING COMMISSION'S BEARING O.N ELECTION. At election time a candidate for the suffrages ol the people is liable to have the whole of his past actions, public and private, brought under review, and incidents, seemingly in themselves without significance, are often turned to effect results quite different from what their author intended. It would hardly have been thought, for instance, that Mr YV. H. Field's sturdy championship of the iiorowhenua Racing Club's right 1o r>np day's racing a year would have re-acteil adversely to his credit in regard to a seat in Parliament. It is a fact, however, that his attitude towards the Hacing Commission's report i was used against him with such effect in (he Trentham district that he did not .receive one vote out of every three cast. It was not until the eve of the poll that he was publicly quests,ned nn the matter and given an opportunity to correct any misunderstanding. At his last meeting at the Hutt, the following written question was put in':— "Mr Field: 'The Reform Government, of which ycu are now a supporter, appointed a Racing Commission at enormous expense to adjust the issue of iotalisatof permits. This Commission sent in their recommendations to the Government, which included an extra day's racing for the -Wellington Racing Club and three extra days' trotting for the Wellington Trotting Club. Did you or tiid you not. vote against the Commission's report being adopted?

"As a matter of fact, it is common gossip that you voted against the Bill, because a little club at Levin was to be dosed N up. "Do you think that a candidate who will sacrifice £*ener?al principles for such twopenny-halfpenny reasons as this has any right to the support of reasonably intelligent people?" Mr Field exnlained that at that time Trentham was not in his electorate, and Levin was, and that his only j means of saving the Levin Club from J extinction was to vote against, the report. But even if he had represented j Trentham. he would have taken the same action. He pointed out that the loss of the Levin permit, would have meant that the r.iVeconrse would be lo«t as a showground, and that it was oniv used, for n one-dav nicnic meeting. Furthermore, ihat he resented the action of the Commission in pto-nosifie.to-blot out several other oldestablished country club=. Mr Field was able to show that his vote wascn«t in rood, faith arid on sound r-rin-<-liY|p=.'.nnrt Oils only regret was that he did. not have an oonoriunrfv of dea!!re with the matter earlier in the Campaign.