STRATFORD RACES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 319, 29 December 1936, Page 4

STRATFORD RACES

NEW YEAR MEETING. Club’s Progressive Policy Maintained. The acceptances received for the Stratford Racing Club’s race meeting on January 1 and 2 are very satisfactory, and the prospects generally appear to be excellent. To deal as adequately as possible with the increasing attendance of the sporting public at the club’s gatherings, the committee during the year have, as usual, given close consideration to the need for keeping pace with the times and continuing the progressive policy which in the past has kept Stratford in the vanguard of racing clubs throughout the Dominion. The problem which has faced club in the past is the lack of modation for the staff of the totalisa* tor house and the consequent congestion at the investment windows.

New “Tote” House. It has long been recognised that the erection of a new totalisator was absolutely necessary, and the committee has now accepted a tender for ths completion of a modern building which will meet the needs of the club for some years to come. But it was found impossible to have thia done in time for use at the forthcoming meeting, owing to unforeseen difficulties facing the timber trade, and also the labour market, and for the reason as well that there would be insufficient time to erect it for use at the March meeting of the club. All that could be done by the committee was to provide more selling space in the present building, and make the best possible arrangements for dealing with the investment business in the meantime. These included additional , ten-shilling windows inside, which will assist to some extent at least in lessening the congestion before each race. Additional pay-out windows have been provided for lawn patrons. Single Pool System. The club will revert to the 7525 per cent, dividend payments previously known as the single pool. It is expected that this will simplify the working of the totalisator and allow speedier handling of the investments. The’ win-and-place. system had proved to put too much strain on the. existing facilities. Increased business is expected, however, in view of the experience of clubs at recent meetings, where the turnover on the machine has been phenomenally large.

Among recent improvements carried out by the club are the construction of new horse-boxes to replace those wrecked in a storm some mouths ago. There is provision for 22 horses, while arrangements have been made with the Stratford Agricultural and Pastoral Association to accommodate other horses on the showgrounds adjacent to the club's course. Further, the publican’s bar in the inside enclosure has ‘been renovated and improved; the gent.’s cloak-room is now on the eastern 'corner of the main stand, and the former cloak-room will be used by the club's caterers, Dustins Ltd., who have installed a refrigerator in connection with their business.

The plans for the new totalisator house provide for a building with the J windows having northern and southern aspects instead of east and west as at present. It -will extend in a ■western direction almost to the line of the present outside stand. The present totalisator house will be removed and utilised as a women’s rest and tea rooms, to be erected near the turnstiles close to the starting barrier for the seven-furlong races. The list of acceptances for Friday’s programme appear on page 7 of this issue. A full review of the fields will appear in Thursday’s issue.