Page:1930 QLD Royal Commission into Racing Report.djvu/54

 The same starter officiates at all the Associated Courses, and does his work well.

The officials at Kedron also perform similar duties at Goodna.

The Strathpine officials also act at Coorparoo.

All officials are paid a fee for each meeting.

Nomination and acceptance fees charged at Kedron are slightly less than those prevailing at Albion Park.

At Kedron, bookmakers pay a fielding fee per meeting of £7 7s. in the Paddock, and £4 4s. in the Leger. At the other courses a fielding fee per meeting of £5 5s. in the Paddock is levied. These fees are considerably less than those paid by registered bookmakers.

The rule enabling the stewards to take a boy off a horse on suspicion of intended malpractice and to substitute the Club's own jockey appears to cause considerable dissatisfaction on the part of owners, and was much discussed. A similar rule formerly prevailed at registered meetings, but was considered too drastic.

The evidence, however, did not establish that at unregistered courses such a rule is unnecessary for the prevention of corrupt practices. The rule is freely availed of by the stewards, and apparently with beneficial results.

Allegations of interference by jockeys and malpractice by owners, trainers, and jockeys were freely advanced.

With small prize money, trainers and owners on the bread-line, second to fifth class horses, short courses and short sprints, this is not surprising.

Whatever the truth of these allegations, it is at any rate true that inquiries by the stewards are very numerous, and that the public is far from confident that it is at present getting a fair run for its money.

Unregistered race meetings were held during 1929 on two week days, generally Mondays and Thursdays, throughout the year.

On the question of the total abolition of unregistered racing the opinion of the witnesses was much divided.

On the one hand, representatives of the Council of Churches and of the National Council of Women urged the total abolition of racing on the score that it encourages the evil of gambling, while representatives of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce and the Brisbane Chamber of Manufactures urged its prohibition during working hours, on the ground that it interferes with business and so injures the community economically.

Other witnesses, unconnected with any of these bodies, considered that all unregistered racing should be abolished by compelling all racing bodies to come under the control of The Queensland Turf Club, i.e., to become registered.