The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1883. TIMARU RACING CLUBS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1142, 30 August 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1883. TIMARU RACING CLUBS.

Racing men in Timaru have not been on the most friendly terms for some time past. It appears that fhe tradespeople of Timaru took it into their heads, about six months ago, to form a club of their own with a view of holding race meetings for district horses only. They found that in the races held under the auspices of the South Canterbury Jockey Club, no local horses except such as were fit to compete in all parts of New Zealand, could run on the Timaru racecourse, because the meetings were open to all comers, and t! o best horses of the colony were generally entered. Of c urse this shut out some very good local horses, because it would

be no use to enter them against the ‘cracks,’and it was with the view of holding meetings for the local horses only, in the hope that in time it would tend to the improvement of horseflesh in South Canterbury, that the Timaru Tradesmen’s Club was started. It was, we think, a very commendable action on their part, and why any one should object is something inexplicable. And still the South Canterbury Jockey Club looked evidently with envy on the newlyformed Club, and declined to allow the racecourse to be used for the purpose of holding local races. Their great ground for objecting was that they had spent a large sum of money in improving the course, and they did not see their way to grant the use of it to the new club. This was met with an offer to pay any reasonable rent they might charge, but the old elub would not hear of this cither. They would not give it under any circumstances. When Parliament met a Bill was brought in by Mr Sutler to vest the race course in a board of trustees, but Mr Turnbull, acting in the interest of the tradesmen, slipped the following clause into it:— Any racing club, consisting of not less than 50 members who shall have paid an annual subscription of 21s each to the fund of such club, which shall have given two months notice at the least in writing to the Board that it intends to hold a race meeting upon any racecourse under the control of the Board, shall be permitted so to do upon the payment of the ordinary charge, if any, made by the Board in the case of any other Racing or Jockey Club ; but it more than one club desires to use the racecourse for any race meeting on the same day the Board shall decide the days ot meeting as it sees fit, being guided as far as possible by the priority of notice given,’ This clause put the new club on the same footing as the old one, and when a copy of it reached Timaru, it caused no small amount of excitement. Two members of the old club packed their carpet bags at once, and proceeded post haste to Wellington where they spent a fortnight buttonholing and lobbying, with the result that on the casting vote of the Chairman of Committees in the Upper House, the clause above quoted was struck out and the following put in :— ‘ The racscourse subject to the Board shall be available to any Racing or Jsckey Club for the purpose of holding race meetings upon such terms and conditions as shall from time to time be publicly notified by the Board and at such dales as they may in every such case appoint : Provided always that such Racing or Jockey Clubs shall consist of not less than 50 members who shall each have paid an annual subscription of not less than 20s per annum towards the funds of such club,’ Thus it will be seen that the new club got the best of it notwithstanding all the carpet-bagging and buttonholing. The difference between the two clauses was not worth making the journey to Wellington about, although those who went blow a great deal about what they did. The new club must get the use of the coarse now, provided they comply with the conditions which the trustees think fit to impose, and it is not likely that the conditions will be -*ucb as will render compliance with them impossible. We are glad of this, because we tlJnk there was a great deal of the dog-in-the-manger business in the action of the old club. It was very churlish on their part to refuse the use of the course in first the place, while their button-hoh'ng in Wellington betrayed a domineering, overbearing spirit, that indicates the reluctance with which they had to yield. It shows plainly that it it is in spite of them the new club has obtained the right to use the course. They did all they could to prevent the new club from coming into existence at all, and they will find out yet that they made a great mistake. The South Canterbury Jockey Club has never been popular. The very small number that attend the meetings proves this, and we venture to predict that the intolerant narrow-minded and churlish spirit they showed in this affair will not raise them in public estimation. We notice that the Tradesmen’s Club have received fresh life and vigor from the victory they achieved, and that they mean to hold a meeting on the Anniversary Day, The bloated aristocrats of the S.C.J.C, will find out on that day that the great majority of the Geraldine public are in sympathy with the new club, and perhaps a day will come when they will regret the high handed way they tried to crush it. We wish the club every success. The object they have in view—the improvement of the breed of local horses—is a very good one, and wc think they are very well deserving of encouragement. }