MINISTER SUPPORTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 121, 12 August 1927, Page 7

MINISTER SUPPORTED

Plain Speaking By Mr. Samuel on Racing Control in N.Z. WAIKATO PERMIT DISPUTE (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. THE trouble over the Waikato Hunt Club’s Labour Day totalisator permit, which reached fever heat a few days ago, was ventilated in the House to-day by Mr. A. M. Samuel, member for Ohinemuri, who stoutly defended the cause of the Hunt, and said the Waikato Racing Club had employed subterranean methods in an endeavour to secure its own ends. The attitude of the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. R. F. Bollard, he said, was gentlemanly and dignified, but firm.

‘Yf'R. SAMUEL described the Minister’s attitude as fair and just, and assured the House that he personally did not hope to derive political capital from his attitude on the question. On the contrary, he had heard that he would be subjected to a severe trouncing when he again took the political platform. He was perfectly content, however, because he was assured that for every one who was against him there were 1,000 of the rank and file behind him. A misunderstanding appeared to exist in connection with the trouble, some believing that the Waikato Hunt did not already possess the Labour Day permit. Papers had become hysterical and propaganda was freely circulated by the Waikato Racing Club HISTORY TRACED Mr. Samuel traced the history of the trouble from the date upon which the Waikato Racing Club had engaged in unwise land speculation, purchasing some hundreds of acres for a racecourse, and described the many endeavours which members of the Racing Club had made to induce the Hunt Club to sell its date to the Racing Club on the pretext that the Minister of External Affairs was going to refuse totalisator permits to hunt clubs. The Hunt Club was thrown into such panic by the plausibility of the situation that it was on the verge of ridding itself of the permit. This attempt of the Racing Club members to secure the permit having failed, they endeavoured to have the Racing Conference pass a resolution that hunt clubs could race only in the hunting season, and later still it was reported that the secretary of the Racing Club had been circularising the members of the Conference enlisting their support. Throughout all this trouble, the attitude of the Minister of Internal Affairs had been gentlemanly nd dignified, but firm. “NOT FAIR PLAY” Mr. Samuel informed the House of the negotiations between the Waikato Hunt and the Auckland District Committee, claiming that fair play had not been meted out to two delegates who went from the Waikato Hunt Club to wait on the district committee. The committee had informed the Hunt Club of the date and time of meeting and when the delegates turned up the committee refused to hear them. Mr. Samuel declared emphatically that a certain barrister, who placed the

: case of the Waikato Racing Club before the dates committee, had been specially briefed and paid to place this certain case. This was not fair. Neither was it fair that the hunt clubs had no direct representation on the New Zealand Racing Conference. When the Hunt Club learned the decision of Racing Conference, there was but one thing left to do, approach the Minister of Internal Affairs. Mr. Bollard eventually gave his reply and , then the storm broke. Wrath was poured on the heads of those who dared to mention the sacred name of the Racing Conference in the House. He was having the same experience. One Southern newspaper had published the most arrogant and refractory article ever written in a newspaper, an article of the kind calculated | more than anything else, to weld to- ‘ gether every faction in the House in a common effort to protect the privileges of members of Parliament and of Parliament itself. : This, said Mr. Samuels, was not a dignified way of settling an argument. : The Racing Conference had professed to keep out of politics, but this dispute » had been precipitated into politics, and : political factions were being approached 1 in every direction. So far as he personally was concerned, he had been misrepresented in respect to his part in the negotiations to the Minister. He * had not been the author of the letter : to the Minister. Neither had he ■ headed a deputation to Mr. Bollard, l but he was proud to be associated with those who had. . The Waikato Racing Club had played the part of Judas Iscariot, and, in spite ! of the Minister’s generosity in giving it two extra days, it had shown its gratitude by biting the hand that fed < it. If small racing clubs were in financial difficulties big brother racing clubs should help them out. Let the bigger clubs give them Boxing Day or some other holiday. What a squeal there : would be then. Mr. -P. Fraser, Wellington Central: Give them St. Andrew’s Day. » Mr. Samuel: I would not like to > race on St. Andrew’s Day. If the ! Racing Conference passed a resolution » that unfortunate clubs were to be assisted by fortunate clubs, vthe sport : of racing would support itself, as it was originally intended to do. The strong could not triumph at the ex- ! pense of the weak.