RACING PERMITS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 75, 15 August 1912, Page 4

RACING PERMITS

THE QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT. RESPONSIBILITY" OP THE GOVERN* ..YIENT. By Telegraph Own Correspondent. . Wellington, Last Night. During the last two <lays in Parliawent dozens of petitions from various branches of the Sports Protection League have been presented by members, askinjr for '-a reasonable increase in the existing number of racing permits." Then there is a Bill on the stocks which will ■if passed, restore permits to those country clubs which lost them as a result of the findings of the Racing Commission. The whole question is also continually cropping up in the form of questions.' Two samples of the enquiries addressed to the Prime Minister and answered yesterday may be quoted. Mr. Forbes asked the Prime Minister whether he will see that in any future redistribution of totalisator permits the applications of proprietary racing clubs be not allowed totake precedence of those of public-owned and controlled clubs?

Mr. Masaey replied that if any proprietary racing club (which term'is understood to mean a club which divides among its Members the profits derived from race meetings) does now receive » license to use the totalisator, no such precedence as is suggested in the question will in future be granted to such a club.

Mr. Russell (Avon) asked the Prima Minister whether it is a fact that the Government have handed over to the Racing Conference the allotment of racing permits, thus abrogating one of the functions laid by the Minister of Internal Affairs, and surrendered this important duty to an irresponsible body.. Mr. Massey replied that the hon. member had been misinformed. The present Government had not handed over, no» had it any intention of handing over, the allotment of racing permits to any conference. Licenses under the Act of 1909 to race at meetings where the tote is not used are not issued where persons taking part in such meeting and horses racing thereat would be disqualified under the rules of racing, or the rules of trotting. In discussing the answer, Mr. G. W. Russell said that he had seen it reported that the Government had granted two days to the Rangitikci Club, and that the allocation of the rest of the permits was left for the Racing Conference. He wanted to know whether it was a fact that the days which had been selected for totalisator permits were given by tha Government or by the Racing Conference. A member: It has always done so. The Hon. W. H. Herries (to Mr. Russell): You are confusing permits with racing days or dates. Mr. Russell said that he was not confusing tinything. If the duty to which he had referred had been performed by the Racing Conference, the Government had abrogated its authority. If the work was to be done by the Racing Conference, then he claimed-'that, the Act of 1909 should be repealed. When referring to proprietary clubs he was interrupted by a member who asked where a proprietary club existed. "What," ho said, "is the Takapuna Club but a proprietary club?" "No!" Mr. Glover interjected with emphasis. , Mr. Russell: Who holds the mortgages on the course? and who is interested in the steamers that carry the public to the club's course? If the Government did its duty it would "deprive that clufc of its permit.

Tho Hon. D. Buddo stated that when he was a Minister of the Crown, and lmd to deal with these matters, he wn« always able to work amicably with tli* Racing Conference. He hoped the Minister would not delegate his responsibility, because there was the question oi issuing licenses to non-totalisator <'h)bsHe himself had issued one for a meeting liiO miles south of Hokitika.

Replying to Mr. Russell, the Hon. W. H. Herries said that if the member for Avon would read the report of the Racing Conference he would find that in the president's address the complaint wan made that "the conference had not bee* consulted by successive Governments,' and thatj.it would "have been courteous" if the Conference had been 30 consulted. Mr. Russell had confused the question of permits with days, and all the (tovernnient had to do was to grant the permits, and the fixing; of dates was merely an internal matter for the Racing Conference, and was done with ■« view to avoid the clashing of fixtures. Mr. Russell asked whether there hail becu any alterations', -*

The Minister answered that there hacf been none, with the exception of giving two days back to the Rangitikei Club, ami taking one each away from the Martoii and Canterbury clubs. The granting of licenses to non-totalisator clubs, not registered with the Racing Conference, Was not done under the Act of 1900, ana he argued that it would be very inadvisable to give permits to clubs which were not registered under the rules of racing. People might run a horse at such a meeting without being aware of the penalty of disqualification.

Mr. Russell: Why disqualified! The Minister: For not racing under the rules and registration. In this respect the Conference had done an enormous amount of good. Mr. '(r. Hunter: Hear, hear.

The Minister: Personally, I think that if a club is not registered it should not: get a permit to race.