AT VARIANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 May 1927, Page 8

AT VARIANCE

TWO WAIKATO CLUBS

HUNT CLUB—RACING CLUB DIFFICULTY OF DATES CAN BE OVERCOME It is to be regretted that the misunderstanding—that is a much less harmful word than friction—which arose some time ago between the Waikato Hunt Club and the Waikato Racing Club should continue, so far as the question of dates for race meetings is concerned. That it should be so shows how wide is the breach between the two bodies. Without going into the rights and wrongs of the whole affair, it can be stated at once that there is no reason why the officers of the clubs should not have been able to get together in amicable round table conference in an honest endeavour to find a way out. That this has not been done already speaks for itself. THE STUMBLING BLOCK

Apparently the Hunt Club, who up to recently held its annual race meeting on Labour Day, has lost this date, which is now used by the Racing Club. In that the Hunt Club appear to have a grievance. It found Labour Day ideal for the attendances were

large on this holiday, and consequently the financial returns were correspondingly high. The Hunt Club recently purchased a property of 96 acres close to Cambridge, which it is proposed to develop into an ideal huntsmen’s home, with modern kennels, etc. This represents a big liability, and naturally the club looks to its race meeting for finance to pay for this, and also the upkeep. Their one race meeting a year is all that hunt clubs have to secure revenue, and naturally, where so much money has been expended as in the Waikato, that club wants to retain its holiday date. THE RACING VIEWPOINT The Waikato Racing Club of late has incurred even more financial liability for the Te Rapa course and the appointments already there must have cost a fortune. That has to be paid for too, and in this respect there is a similarity between the positons of the two clubs. How then, did the Racing Club come to usurp the Labour Day date? On this point the writer has no knowledge, but the position is outlined in a nutshell by the Auckland District Racing Committee in approving dates for the forthcoming season. It is understood that the Waikato Hunt Club applied for Labour Day, October 24, and the Waikato Racing Club for Saturday and Monday, October 22 and 24. The District Committee approved the latter dates, and advised the Hunt Club “to select a fresh date for its meeting to fall during the hunting season.” That last part, strictly from the standpoint of the racing authorities, clears the air so far as the two bodies are concerned. In other words, the Hunt Club is told to choose dates in season, and not after. SUGGESTED AGREEMENT There is little doubt but that the District Committee would not insist on the Hunt Club being tied down to racing in the hunting season if an agreement satisfactory to both clubs could be arrived at. Taking that for granted the next thing to do is to endeavour to arrange dates suitable to the two clubs. The Waikato Club has already had October 22 and 24 approved by the District Committee, and its recommendation must of course carry some weight with the Dates Committee of the Racing Conference, the final arbiter in this connection. It is going to be difficult for the Hunt Club to fix on a date prior to Labour Day, and to expect the same result from their meeting. However, that is the position at present, and it seems that the Hunt Club will have to face it unless the Dates Committee overrides the District Committee’s recommendation. WHY NOT COMBINED MEETING? It appears to be altogether useless for the Hunt Club to continue to hold out for Labour Day, for the forces arranged against them are too formidable, representing as they do the direct racing authority in the district. There* fore the only reasonable course is to attempt a compromise, and with delegates from the Racing and Hunt Clubs approaching the matter in the proper, the true sporting, spirit, there should be little difficulty in coming to an agreement. If that spirit is not allowed to prevail, then the best, thing for the officials of both clubs to do is to retire and make way for others who will leave no stone unturned at bridging the breach between the two bodies. The Waikato Racing Club has been granted Saturday and Monday, October 22 and 24. Would the club be prepared to forego the former date, and concede it to the Hunt Club? This would allow the Hunt Club to race on Saturday, October 22, and the Racing Club on Monday (Labour Day), October 24, and Wednesday, October 26. Surely this would be suitable for both parties. OTHER CLUBS PROCEDURE In other centres hunt and racing clubs work very well together. At Hastings the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club race usually on Wednesday and Thursday, and the course is then given over to the Hunt Club to race on Saturday. The Waverley Racing Club and Eg-mont-Wanganui Hunt Club have raced on the Saturday and Monday (Labour Day) when the former body has not had a two-days permit, and when convenient for the Hunt Club, which races at Wanganui, Waverley and Hawera, whichever course is available at the time.

It is time the Waikato Racing Club and Waikato Hunt Club got together and settled their differences, which at present make them the laughing stock of racing circles in the South. The arrangement suggested above could be decided upon with very little loss of prestige to either club, and in the event of them not coming to terms, then the District Committee should intervene in the direction indicated. The point that the Hunt Club should race in the hunting season is not as important, when one reviews the history of the affair, as might appear, and the District Committee would no doubt be only too pleased to agree to an arrangement amicably arrived at on the lines indicated. At any rate it should be.