RACING CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 190, 13 August 1928, Page 10

RACING CONFERENCE.

APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE.

CRITICISED BY PRESIDENT OF A.R.C.

NO AUCKLAND REPRESENTATIVE

An executive committee was appointed at tho last meeting of the New Zealand Racing Conference, but when the personnel was announced after a ballot, it was found that there was no representative of tho Auckland Racing Club on the executive. This matter was referred to by Sir Edwin Mitchelson during the course of his presidential address at the annual meeting of tho club this afternoon.

"It is with very great regret," said Sir Edwin, "that I now hav« to complain that the Auckland Racing Club has no representation on the executive committee recently elected by the conference."

Sir Edwin went on to say that the Auckland Racing Club contributed onesixth of the whole cost of the conference, and its metropolitan area one-third of the cost, the Auckland Racing Club's contribution for last year being £1577. The conference would find it difficult to function without the aid of the Auckland metropolitan area. The following figures, taken from the records of the conference, showed that the totalisator returnr-; at Ellerslie for the year amounted to £011,1505—£100.480 more than the whole four metropolitan clubs, who each had a representative on the conference executive, viz., Canterbury £448,381, Dujedin £207,172, Hawke's Bay £81,28', and Southland ±58,285 — one representative each from Auckland District Committer and Wauganui District Committee mad© up the six members of the executive. The vice-presi-dent was a member of the Wellington Racing Club. The remit that was seut out on the order paper by the conference stated that the president was to propose that the president, vice-presi-dent and one member of the conference should be elected a* an executive (an ideal executive). It came, therefore, as a surprise to the Auckland delegates to find at the meeting at Christchureli of tho conference oil July 13 a new motion proposed (without notice or without any reference to the Auckland delegates or any of the metropolitan clubs), and that under this new proposal six members were to be elected as an executive. The names of the six membore who were subsequently elected were first submitted en bloc and di'd not include a representative of the Auckland Racing Club committee, but this method of appointing the executive being objected to the names of four additional members of the conference were proposed, three of whom afterwards withdrew, leaving seven (including one representative of the Auckland Racing Club committee) to be balloted for to fill the six seats. Under the Rules of Racing there were 10 delegates representing the metropolitan clubs, including Manawatu, and 24 delegates representing the country clubs, but it was provided that the metropolitan delegates should have a voting power about equal in the aggregate to that of tho country clubs.'The voting, however, was erroneously taken on the one-man one-vote principle and this gavo the country club's nominees a certain majority, with j the- result that the two country nominees were elected and the nominee of the Auckland club was excluded, leaving the Auckland Racing Club, admittedly one of tho most important clubs in the Dominion, entirely without representation. The club do not intend to submit to this injustice- and were taking steps to insist upon a strict adherence to the rules under which tho conference was established, for in his opiuion tho whole procedure on this occasion was not only quite irregular, but also a very deliberate slight to the Auckland Racing Club. The Avondale Club. As tho president, of the Avondale •Jockey Club at its annual meeting adversely criticised the Auckland club's action in changing its spring dates from November to Ocljber. he felt that it was his duty to refer to the matter, with a view of showing that as far as the Auckland Racing Club %\as coni cerned there was no justification for the

.rtatemcnts made by hiiu. "l ite alteration in dates was fully considered by the Auckland committee and discusoed for several yea re before being agreed to, and there could be do doubt that :hu change had been greatly to the benefit of racing, as horses entered iu elastic races could now race first at Avoodale, then Auckland, Wellington and (.'liristchureii in sequence, whereat* formerly horses entered in the spring cla-.-ic could not race at both Chrktchutvli and Auckland as they were now enabled to do. Instead of the change in dates being detrimental to Avoiulale it tmi.r-c prove to its advantage, and as regards his charge of inconsistency Sir Kdwin quoted the remarks that lie made at tile animal meeting in August, 1925, which were as follow:—"On the conference the country clubs now have more voting power than the metropolitan clubs, and the Manawatu Club has been granted special representation. This is quite unjustifiable, as there are other country clulhs who give better stakes per da> ami handle much more money than Mauauatu. The precedent, thus established will tend to cause much frictioti iii future and tend, ako, to weaken and probably bring about the dismemberment of the conference', more especially if long established dates are shifted about io suit the vagaries of certain Southern clubs who frequently ask fur a. change of the dates to the detriment of Auckland clubs.''" The "other country clubs" referred tc were, of course, Avondale and Takapuna. and bis mention of fa's p!ainh went to show the consideration they ii a d for their local clubs' interest-. The. following telegram, whieb lie sent to the conference on July 22, P.tio. would empha-.iso the point"As chairman District Committee emphatically pn test Avondale fixed dates being taken from them to favour clubs that frequently change their dates of late, years. Avondale staked and toto returns bet.„r than Manawatu, and favourably compare with Wellington. Action will probably kill Avondale's weight-for- ,gc. Alteration altogether unwarranted, and. likely destroy confidence in governing body."

It must not bj forgotten (hat the Auckland Racing Club granted the AvondaUj Club permission to hold four of its race meetings at Ellerslie, with better results than •• i.-ild have been experienced if those .. '.gs had been held on its own Co'- - .