TROTTING AND RACING CLUBS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11021, 19 July 1901, Page 6

TROTTING AND RACING CLUBS.

A PECULIAR DIFFICULTY. | (SFXCIAL TO "THIS PHESS."") ■WELLINGTON, July 18. A deputation, comprising Sir Maurice O'Rorke, tho Hons. Major Harris, and W. T. Jennings, Messrs La wry, Napier, and Witheford waited upon Sir Joseph Ward this evening in connection with a resolution passed by the Racing Conference. Sir Maurice explained that under a rule passed by the Conference last year, he, as President of the Auckland Trotting Club, was placed under the ban of disqualification. Mr Lawry said the rule was an absolutely arbitrary one, as the racing clubs had no alternative but disqualification. Not only Sir Maurice O'Rorko. but he (Mr Lawry) as Vice-presi-dent, Major Harris, the Hon. Mr Jennings, and Mr Massey, as President of the Otahuhu Trotting Club, could be ordered off any coiirse in the colony, as though they were spielers and blacklegs." He pointed out that the clubs had so far never notified them that they were disqualified, but they had notified the paid officials of the Auckland Trotting Club, who had t.i choose between resigning their positions on the trotting club and finding no employment from the Auckland Ttacing Club. Two stewards of the Auckland Trotting Club had resigned from that body because they ran horses with the racing club. j Mr Lawry said he had felt it necessary to resign all tho positions he had held for years in connection with racing clubs. Mr Jennings endorsed Mr LawTy's remarks. Mr xj. W. Adams', Mr Mark, secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club, and Mr A. R. Harris, judge of the club, also spoke. Sir Joseph Ward said he ha-cl instructed his secretary to take the statements down verbatim*. He had no previous knowledge that such a state of things existed. He realised that the programmes of the trotting clubs were passed by a body just as diily constituted as the Racing Conference. He would make a full enquiry into the matter, and he hoped that some satisfactory arrangement would be made.