H.—22

42

land. Wallace Agricultural Show, held at Otautau, is only second in Southland to the Metropolitan Show in Invercargill, the principal feature of the show being the display of horses. In further evidence that we have the class of men in the district that interest themselves in the breeding of thoroughbred horses, the following sires are at the disposal of local breeders this season : Soldiers' Chorus, Canrobert, Stronghold, Pallas, Rose Noble, Crichton, Appelgarth, Golden Vein, Glenculloch, and others. We have always been able to secure a good course to race on, but, of course, not having a totalizator permit it was impossible to secure a freehold course or appointments; but in the event of a permit being granted there would not be any difficulty in securing a course. As a matter of fact negotiations arc already proceeding to secure a course, as the club is confident that its claim for a permit must commend itself to you. The Southland Racing Club recommends that totalizator licenses be granted to this club and to the Clifden Hack Racing Club. By the Deputation. —We think we can certainly say we are the premier hack racing club in the South. We did not increase our stakes at our recent meeting when we knew there was a prospect of a permit. We have produced some of the best horses in Otautau that have ever raced in New Zealand. At the recent Gore meeting one of our local stallions acounted for five or six wins. Unless we had sporting people in and about Otautau we maintain that all these fine stallions would not be kept here for the convenience of breeders. We have all the stallions in the South, with the exception of one or two. We have provided steeplechase races because we have always gone in not for the best-paying races, but for those likely to produce the best class of horse. A good many of our members are members and officials of the different racing clubs in Southland, and the work they have done is a guarantee that our meeting, if we get a permit, will be run just as well and perhaps better than, that of any other club. Lumsben Hack Racing Club. The headquarters of the club are at Lumsden. Race meetings have been held in Lumsden for over thirty years, firstly as a jockey club holding a totalizator permit, and for over twenty years as a hack racing club without a totalizator. The jockey club over twenty years ago, owing to regulations demanding that stakes totalling £150 for eight races be provided, reluctantly decided to relinquish their totalizator permit, and since that time have, under the style of the " Lumsden Hack Racing Club," conducted each year very successful and enjoyable meetings; and the stakemoney has been increased gradually from £39 in 1894 to £100 in 1914. The club is registered. The last meeting was held in February, 1914. The club has no regular membership list, the practice being to sell each year 10s. tickets, and last year £66 was raised, equal to 132 members. A copy of the club's last balance-sheet has been forwarded. The racecourse is situated on a 100--------acre paddock, education reserve leasehold, and has twenty-one years to run. There are no buildings at present erected, but if our application for a permit is successful, fences, horse-stalls, he, will be erected in accordance with regulations, and added to as funds allow. The nearest club using the totalizator is the Winton Jockey Club, thirty miles distant. The nearest club not using the totalizator is the Cattle Flat Hack Club, ten miles distant. As special reasons for our club's preferment we would point out that Lumsden is the centre of a very large and prosperous district and has very special train facilities, being the junction of four lines of railway, thus enabling patrons of a race meeting held here to make the trip and return to their homes the same day. The township is also well equipped to accommodate visitors, having three large and up-to-date two-story hotels with ample bedroom and stabling accommodation. By the Deputation. —We hold we have one of the finest districts in Southland from a- racing point of view, as everything centres into Lumsden. We understand that if we get a permit the racing people in Southland will give us all the nominations and backing it is possible for them to do. They can bring horses from Gore, Riversdale, and Invercargill, and take them back the same night. Ihey can bring them across the lake from Central Otago, and take them back in a day or two. Since we lost our permit three large estates—Castle Rock, of 40.000 acres. Five Rivers, of 32,000 acres, and the New Zealand Agricultural Company's estate, of 132,000 acres— have been cut up and settled, and this puts us in a very strong position. Last year we had seventy-eight nominations and this year eighty-nine, and our fields were good., Riversdale sportsmen support our application, and Riversdale is the home of some of the best horses that have ever been bred in New Zealand. We have a large back country reaching to Kingston and Lake Te A.nau. a distance of fifty miles' or more. Our race meeting caters for the settlers in these districts, but they cannot get to Gore or Winton and return home the same day. They urge that we should be given a permit in order that they may have the privilege of a day's sport. The president of the Winton Jockey Club has wired us saying that his club is very favourable to our application, and we had the same intimation from the Southland Jockey Club. We feel now we are in a position to get in a good financial condition if we get a permit. At our last race meeting over £60 worth of tickets of the Winton and Southland clubs were sold on our course to local residents, and that will show you how our people are prepared to assist sport in the Southland District. We have 120 financial members now, and that number could easily be increased to 250. Upper Clutha Racing Club. The headquarters of the club are at Hawea Flat. The club has been in existence for a period of over forty years—first under the name of the " Wanaka Jockey Club," then to give it wider area of influence it was altered into the name of the " Upper Clutha Racing Club," with a meeting held each year, alternately on racecourses at Hawea and Albert Town. During the past two years the meetings have been held at Hawea. This place ha' now been permaneutlv sclented for the meetings as being the most centrally situated place in a large district. The club is registered. The last meeting was held in November, 1914. A list of the present, members of the club and a