WHEREAS in the year 1971 the Greymouth Trotting Club (Incorporated), the Reefton Trotting Club (Incorporated), and the Marlborough Trotting Club (Incorporated) (hereinafter called the said clubs) agreed together to conduct a non-terminating jackpot at all of their successive trotting meetings commencing at the trotting meeting conducted by the Greymouth Trotting Club on the 18th day of October 1971 and so on at each and every trotting meeting of the said clubs until such jackpot was struck: And whereas the rules of such jackpot provided (inter alia) that the entrant or entrants who successfully picked 5 winners in the 5 races selected by the said clubs as jackpot races should be paid the amount in the accumulated jackpot pool and if more than one in equal shares: And whereas the rules of such jackpot further provided that if at any trotting meeting of the said clubs no person picked 5 winners then the amount in the jackpot pool should be passed on to and form part of the accumulated jackpot pool at the next successive trotting meeting of the said clubs: And whereas the said jackpot was not struck at any of the 8 successive trotting meetings conducted by the said clubs, the last of such meetings being held on the 10th day of April 1972 and at the conclusion of such meetings on the 10th day of April 1972 the accumulated jackpot pool amounted to $24,012: And whereas the Racing Act 1971 came into force on the 1st day of August 1972 and such Act did not entitle any of the said clubs to conduct jackpots, but section 38(1)(e) of that Act provided that totalisator clubs could use the totalisator for the purpose of such other forms of betting as the Minister may, after consulting with the Authority, from time to time authorise: And whereas subsequent to the said 1st day of August 1972 representations were duly made to the Minister of Internal Affairs to permit a jackpot to be conducted to dispose of the accumulated jackpot pool held by the trustees of the said clubs but the Minister stated that he could not make such recommendation owing to the fact that it was not possible for jackpots to be conducted through a totalisator: And whereas during the years 1973 and 1974 a series of Supreme Court writs were issued against the said clubs by persons claiming that they were entitled to share the accumulated jackpot pool on the grounds that they had each selected 4 winners out of the 5 jackpot races conducted by the Greymouth Trotting Club on the 10th day of April 1972 and a further writ was issued against James Totalizators Limited in its capacity as stake holder of the said jackpot pool: And whereas all of the abovementioned claims were heard in the Supreme Court of New Zealand at Greymouth on the 24th day of March 1975, and on the 25th day of May 1975 Mr Justice Casey entered an interim judgment only in respect of all of the said claims but reserved the matter for further consideration if the parties desired the assistance of the Court on any other matter not covered by the judgment: And whereas no steps have been taken by any of the parties to any of the said writs to obtain any further assistance of the Court, nor has any final judgment been entered: And whereas it is desirable in the interests of all parties to the said writs and to the public generally that the method of disposal of the said jackpot pool should now be settled by legislation: