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perrhanent trainer living on the course; his compartments consist of dwellinghouse of seven rooms and outhouses, with twenty-five loose-boxes, two jockeys' rooms, store and feed rooms. The course is fenced on the inside. i The nearest clubs using the totalizator are at Ashburton, twenty-five miles distant, and at Timaru, nineteen miles distant. The nearest club not using the totalizator is at Pleasant Point, twenty miles distant. We intend, if allowed a one-day license, to hold our meeting in April, our programme being to cater for the general sporting crowd of the surrounding districts by including both trots and hunters' races in the programme. The Geraldine Racing Club has spent a lot of money on the course and buildings thereon, making it one of the finest country racecourses in the South Island; and, being in the centre of a good sporting district and only having one permit for the course, we feel sure that we are fully entitled in asking you to give us your earnest consideration for a license for the one-day's totalizator. We feel sure that when you take into consideration the number of permits that our friends on each side of us have you will see we are fully entitled to an extra day, which would be fully appreciated by the club and also by the sporting public of our district. By the Deputation. —The club started at the time of the Boer War, when races were held to raise funds in aid of returned soldiers, and the meeting was so highly successful that it was continued, also with very great success. All the profits derived from the meetings have been spent on this couise, which is a Government reserve vested in trustees. We have always had good nominations. This is looked on as the racing centre for Temuka, which is ten or twelve miles away. At our first meeting we took £100 at the gates, and handed between £70 and £80 of the net profits to the sick and needy coming home from the Boer "War. This centre serves a wide old-settled district which carries a large population. We have only one race meeting in the district in the year. Mackenzie County Racing Club. The headquarters of the club are at Fairlie. The club is a new one arising out of three defunct clubs —viz., Fairlie, Aibury, and Tekapo Racing Clubs —and was formed on the 6th October, 1914. We decided not to apply for registration until a permit is granted. We have not yet held a meeting. A list of the present members of the club has been forwarded. Ihe racecourse is situate in Block Vfl of the Tangawai Survey District, being part of R.S. 26243, containing 54 acres 3 roods 29 perches. At present it has no improvements. In the event of obtaining a permit the club is prepared to comply with the conditions imposed, by the Rules of Racing, The circumference of the course is 8 furlongs. The tenure is leasehold—lease for seven years, with right of purchase—and expires on the Ist May, 1921. The racecourse is at present unfenced on inside of course. The nearest clubs using the totalizator are the South Canterbury Racing Club, thirty-seven miles distant, and the Geraldine Racing Club, fifty miles distant. We think we should have the permit, as the Mackenzie County is a very large district, and at present sport in the shape of a race meeting is absolutely uncatered for. Owing to restrictions placed by the Racing Conference some four years ago the three clubs operating in the county were deprived of totalizator permits, thus denying patrons of racing a chance of a good day's racing locally, and breeders of a chance of local competitions. In recent years this district has grown to dimensions of considerable importance owing to closer settlement, and our club would cater for a much larger population than was the case with previous clubs. Our district is peculiarly situated as regards the demand for good horses. Owing to the nature of the back country horses are .used almost exclusively as a means of transit, and the best class of horse always meets with a keen demand, but present conditions do not encourage horse-breeders to obtain the best thoroughbred strains. By the Deputation. —Our strongest claim for a permit is that there is no club within forty miles of us. The property we propose to acquire for a course is freehold. We have an option of purchase at £15 per acre. We think we would have no difficulty in increasing our membership to five hundred in the whole, district, including people in and about Timaru. All the people of any standing in the district would support our club. We have been promised any amount of donations in the event of our getting a permit. This is the centre of a very large district stretching from Timaru to Mount Cook. This club represents an amalgamation of the Aibury, Fairlie, and Mackenzie County clubs. We have the names of several good sportsmen who are willing to act on our executive if we get a permit. There is more than treble the population here now than when the old club held its meetings, and that fact and the fact that we are a combination of three clubs gives us, we conteud, a very strong claim for a permit, notwithstanding the fact that at present we have no appointments. Palmerston Racing Club. Ihe headquarters of the club are at Palmerston South. The Palmerston Racing Club held its first meeting in 1866, and raced annually from that time till about fourteen years ago, when a day was taken away by the Conference, and Palmerston and Waikouaiti were allotted a day each in alternate years. We were quite satisfied with this arrangement, and thought our club would prosper when we were properly established on a good track. But after holding one meeting on it, which went off without a hitch, and which every one seemed to enjoy, we were, through the finding of the Commission appointed in 190!), deprived of our yearly picnic, and the privilege Ji racing every year granted to Waikouaiti. Though our club appointed a deputation to wait on the members of this Commission at the time of their itinerary, they did not see them, neither were we given any reasons why racing in Waikouaiti should be increased. The last race meeting was held in 1909, and during these five years the Palmerston people have felt very much the loss of their annual gathering, but now that the chance has arisen to revive it through the passing of recent legislation they anxiously look forward to your decision. The club is registered. The