A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 299, 15 December 1917, Page 13

A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

SPECIAL MEETING.

A special general meeting of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held to-day, __■ A. Thompson presiding. The object of the meeting was to consider a proposed alteration o£ the rules and In the membership of the general committee. After some discussion it was resolved that rule 10, which provides that all past presidents are members of the general committee ex officio, shall be amended tjy the deletion of the words "and all past presidents stm feeing members of the association ex officio." The effect of this will be that all members of the general committee most be elected by ballot each year. Rules 11 and •14, in reference to executive committees, were similarly amended. It was reeolved that the general committee consist of forty members, and that the committee be appointed at the annual general meeting only from members present at the meeting or from members who have signified their willingness to act on the committee. SUGGESTIONS I-E I__?(BOVE___S__. A general discussion took place on the question of improving the show. Sir Robert Lockhart stated that it seemed to him a number of improvements could be effected in references to the horses. In the | first place another enclosure should be provided outside the ring for the succeeding class to that being judged, so that as soon as one class was judged the next could came in. Some better method should also be adopted in reference to horses going out. At present they seemed to go out of the ring ln any order they pleased, and this should not be allowed. He held also that there should be a better system of judging the hunters. Under the present system | points 'were only awarded to hunters on I the way they jumped. The horses should be properly judged as hunters, and points awarded on conformation, soundness, quality, pace and jumping ability. Some o£ the horses jumped remarkably well, but they were certainly not hunters. He noticed, too, that some of the riders rode without ■their coats. This was a thing that should not be allowed in the ring. The rules provided, further, that no Jockey should be allowed to ride, yet the speaker had seen at least one jockey riding at the recent show. Another point was -the fact -that the one judge appointed at present had too much to do. They had to stop the ring events while the judge went to lunch, and provision should he made to do away 'with the delay by providing the judge with an assistant. The water Jnmp, he held, should be extended to the side some five or six feet. There waß aUo the question of amateur boys' classes. He had noticed a number or hunters competing in these classes, and this should not be allowed. Provision couM also he made for children's ponies to compete.

The Victoria -Cross and Sending competitions might well be struck out. Then there was the question of passes from the grandstand. It seemed to him that people who bad paid for admission to the stand were entitled to a pass.

After a ibrief discussion, the points mentioned were referred to the executive committee.