Labour Day Date Was Misunderstood

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 431, 13 August 1928, Page 13

Labour Day Date Was Misunderstood

fourth edition

RACING CONFERENCE’S NEGLECT “GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT” CONFIRMED The failure of the New Zealand Racing Conference to advise the Auckland District Committee that it had a •gentlemans agreement” with the prime Minister to let the Waikato Hunt Club have the Labour Hay date this vear, caused the misunderstanding whereby the controversy of last year was revived, declared Sir Edwin Mitchelson in his presidential address at the annual meeting this afternoon of members of the Auckland Racing Club. “I have another serious complaint to make against the conference in connection with its treatment of the Auckland District Committee regarding the Labour Day date,” he said, “You will remember the controversy that arose over that date last year, the District Committee having recommended that the Waikato Racing Club should have Labour Day. This was strenuously backed up by the conference until it was found that the late Mr. Bollard had given the Waikato Hunt Club an assurance that they should have Labour Day, and that was afterwards agreed to by the president and the conference for that year. “This year, when the District Committee met to allot dates for the ensuing season, Labour Day was again recommended as one of the Waikato Racing Club’s dates, and this was accordingly sent on to the conference and apparently approved by the president, us no objection was raised by him or the conference to the date being allotted to the Waikato Racing Club. However, when the Dates Committee met in Wellington on July 9, a communication was made to them to the effect that two members of the conference had last year made a gentleman’s agreement with the late Mr. Bollard and the Prime Minister that the Waikato Hunt Club was to be allowed to retain the Labour Day date during the life of the present Parliament. “While admitting that they could not commit the Racing Conference, both undertook to advise the Dates Committee to allot the Labour Day date in accordance with the understanding arrived at, and the Dates Committee greed to the course suggested. This understanding was made known to the conference, who unfortunately failed to convey the same to the Auckland District Committee or the Auckland-District Committee or the Waikato Racing Club, the two bodies most vitally interested, and had the conference made known the arrangement a great deal of misunderstanding that has arisen in connection with the allotment of Labour Day date would have been avoided. It has been intimated publicly that in regard to the allocation of dates the matter is entirely one for the conference to decide. "Arrangements have been made that in the event of any dispute arising out of the allocation of dates and the granting of totalisator permits it will in future be adjusted at a round-the-tabie conference between the Minister of Internal Affairs and representatives of the Racing Conference.”