AUCKLAND RACING CLUB.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 181, 1 August 1892, Page 4

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB.

ANNUAL MEETING,

The annual meeting of members ot the Auckland Kacing Club was held bhis afternoon ab bhe Club's offices, Durham-sbreeb. Mi- L, D. Nathan (Presidenb of the Club) presided. There was a very large attendance. , .

The reporb and balance-sheet as printed in our Saturday's impression was read. The balanco-shcob showed bhab the proiibfor bhe year ending 3Gth June, was £1,206T4s 6d.

Iv moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, Mr Nathan said that it gave him great pleasure to congratulate the Club on its very satisfactory financial position. The balance-sheet showed a result for the year's operations of £1,026-14s 6d. This, added to the surplus of last year's account, viz., £15,475 9s 5d gave a total of £16,502 3s lid, which sum after deducting £712 os7d, being the amount expended on Grand Stand, working plant, paddock, etc., left the surplus of assets over liabilities of £13,790 3s 4d, a result on which the Club was to be congratulated. Regarding the totalisator, he expressed the opinion that thero had been too much racing, and thab the general public, as apart from those immediately concerned, had been aomewhataurfeited with race meetings. The A. R. C., however, was not to blame so far as it was concerned. Country and suburban clubs, he said, were in reality feeders of tho Metropolitan, and while laxity was to be condemned, liberality was to a great extent excusable in the passing of country programmes. His idea was that tho Metropolitan Club should provide horse racing for the public for this best of all English sports He considered that it was not tha function of any particular club to give that safety valve to the proclivities of the colonial community Auckland had such a high name for the horses she produced undor the auspices of the Racing Club that there was no necessity to defend thia form of amusement. It was very questionable whe'bber the backing of horses to win races .was more __.01-..._a .gamble . fcnau ..the hundred and oue operations of everyday life. Now : a-days the totalisator made it less necessary for owner., to back their own horeos. He considered it was a far less reprehensible form of gambling than the backing of horses mon thsahead under acredit system wibh the bookmakers. They had no doubt all read with pleasure Captain Russell's speech on the motion that the totalisator be abolished. There wa£ one point which he (Mr Nathan).would like to point out, and thab was that the public gob all the sport, even if they did pay 10 per cent, on their machine investments, without it costing them a shilling. We are not all' built to enjoy tea and buns. «

Major George made a strong speech against the mahagemenb of the Club, and rot erred to the action of the stewards in the inquiry hold into the in-and-out running of Stranger at a reaenb race meebing. Mr Devore drew abtention to the sundry charges in the balance-sheeb, £1,392. He thought bhat it ought to be made more explicit.

Mr Devore proposed and it was carried : " That in the opinion of this meeting, thab in this and. in future balance-sheets full details of sundry charges shall be printed in the balance-sheet."