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meeting. South of Harihari there are considerable settlements at Wataroa, Okarito, and Waiho, the people of which could reach Harihari comfortably and enjoy the day's meeting. The district generally is essentially a country district, and the meeting is a country gathering in the truest sense. The issue of a totalizator license would give a greater incentive to the people to gather together, bring more people into the district, and so help to promote the general prosperity, while it is not unreasonable to expect the breeding of horses to be taken up more actively. By the Deputation. —Our race meetings have been well supported since they were started. This district is going ahead by leaps and bounds, and there are a lot of men in the district who are devoting their attention to blood stock. Although South Westland has been isolated for many years, the settlers are a live body, and they intend to progress. At the present time the cheese industry is rapidly developing. Five years ago there were nine suppliers to the factory, now there are sixteen, and the output of cheese is about 105 tons as against 47 tons three years ago. There was no school here five years ago, and to-day there is a school with twenty scholars. The population of the district south of the present railway terminus at Ross is between one thousand and fifteen hundred. We had forty nominations at our last meeting and thirty-three acceptances. We have already expended on our track £50, and we are prepared to expend £500 if we get a permit. At present there are sixteen brood mares and six sires in this district, and eight gallopers and six trotters in work and racing this season. We have also five trotting brood mares and two trotting sires. There are about twenty youngsters coming on out of these mares. We propose to make our course 6 furlongs, or over if required. We would also like to mention, to show how the district is progressing, that a contract has just been let for the erection of saleyards here. We think this district is entitled to a little consideration in the matter of these permits. This is a convenient centre for the whole district, and a permit will greatly encourage the settlers to go in for breeding good horses. In addition to the cheese-factory here there are also factories at Waitaha and Wataroa, both of which districts have shown marked progress in recent years. We think we are justly entitled to a little sport to break the monotony of our lives in this remote and isolated district. Owing to this being a dairying district it is impossible for our settlers to spare the time to visit Hokitika for a race meeting, but they could do so if we had a totalizator meeting here. Our population is rapidly growing, and we would point out that on a population basis Westland has less permits than any other part of New Zealand. We are now passing from gold-mining to agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and our progress is now permanent. We urge the isolation of the district as our strong claim for a permit.

HUNT CLUBS. Pakuranga Hunt Club. The headquarters of the club are at Auckland. The club was formed in 1872, and is registered. The last meeting was held on the Ellerslie Racecourse in August, 1914. A list of the present members of the club and a copy of the club's last balance-sheet have been forwarded. We arc inclined to think that the non-issue of permits should not apply to hunt clubs, as we believe the object of granting permits to hunt clubs is to assist to provide revenue for the purpose of fostering and encouraging the sport of hunting. You will readily understand that the benefit to a hunt club would be very largely discounted if it had to maintain its own racecourse and the necessary buildings for same, therefore we hope to obtain permission to race on one or other of the well-known racecourses near Auckland. We have forwarded a book on the history of the Pakuranga Hunt. By the Deputation. —We wish to say we shall race at Ellerslie Racecourse if we get a permit. Our kennels are at East Tamaki, and we have eighteen couples of hounds and nine couples of puppies. The antiquity of the club is one of our strongest arguments. We are the oldest in New Zealand. We have struggled along. We have always been a clean hunt club. We have lived practically from hand to mouth for the last forty years, but we have always managed to keep going, with a large list of members. We had to build new kennels and move further out, and we want a little more financial help from a totalizator permit to enable us to wipe off the debt on the kennels and to keep the hunt going as it should. Our membership covers a very large area —probably the largest hunting district in New Zealand. We find we have to extend our boundaries, which entails a much larger expense in carrying the hounds by train. Population here is spreading now. The farthest distance we have sent the pack to hunt is Waiuku, forty miles. In one way the extension of our country' does a great deal of good, because it brings in the farmers in the outlying districts. The young fellows keep a good horse, and they make the pick of the Mounted Rifles about the district. Many of our members and their horses have gone with the Expeditionary Force. It is well known that our voting fellows who hunt make the best of our cavalry leaders. We get £200 a year from the Auckland Racing Club. No other racing club gives us a donation. We will lose that £200 if we get a totalizator permit, but we do not think the club will take off the races for hunters that now appear on their programme. The Auckland Racing Club gives stakes to the value of £360 for hunters' races. We get three races in the year from the club, and we understand these will not be withdrawn if we get a permit. There is no doubt these races encourage the hunters. Tf we had a permit with one day's racing, thus losing the £200 subsidy, we are sure we should be £500 better off. We could easily make a profit of £700. We, are satisfied on that point. The area of our kennel property is about 7 acres, and we-owe £500 on it. The property is valued at £1,278. Our membership fee is £3 3s. for gentlemen and £1 Is. for ladies, and honorary members £1 Is. Country members belong to the club and enjoys the same rights as full members, but we hunt