N.Z. TROTTING CONFERENCE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17812, 11 July 1923, Page 12

N.Z. TROTTING CONFERENCE.

ANNUAL MEETING. TO "TIIS TEESS."} WELLINGTON, July 10. Ths animal conference of delegates from totalisator clubs registered with the New Zealand Trotting Assocation was held in "Wellington to-day. In the absence of the president, Mr H. F. Nicoll, who has left on a business visit to England, the vice-president, Mr John Howe, too!-: the chair. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT. Tho roll having been called, Mr Rowe read the following letter from the president:— Wol'ington, N.Z., sih June, 1923. The Vice-President, New Zealand Trotting Conference, Auckland. Dear Sir, —It is with genuine regret that I write to advise you that I shall be unable to fill the chair at our Conference next owing to an urgent business call to London, which necessitates my leaving the Dominion in the s.s. ltotorua on June sth. I therefore have to request that you will make arrangements to conduct tho Conference this year, as your long experience of the position so well qualifies you to do. Whilst unable to bo present, I would esteem it a favour if you would be so good as to advise the delegates assembled at the Conference that I view with a good deal of pleasure the continued steady advance of the sport in New Zealand, and the brighter outlook in the promise of tho gaming legislation to be introduced by the Government during this session of Parliament. The clubs have been both patient and long suffering under most adverse conditions, and with a more sympathetic atmosphere surrounding us, they will be able to offer further encouragement to the importation and breeding of highclass horses, thus enhancing the value of the sport to the Nation, and increasing the interest of the public in the race meetings, for we all know how keenly tiiey look for the star performers and how each classic event in turn appears to attract now peoplo to tho racecourse. I would like to comment upon the work of the raoecourse inspectors. As a member of the joint executive committee of the Racing and Trotting Conferences, I have had exceptional opportunities to mark their work during the past two years, and their ability and tact- in weeding out undesirables and in the unobtrusive supervision of the racecourses, are worthy of the highest possible praise. Their appointment has proved of great value to both racing and trotting, and in the administration of their duties they have proved themselves to be both vigilant and efficient, and at tho same time liave performed this work with the minimum of friction. We can rest well satisfied that the money charged against clubs, under this heading, is well spent, and we can afford to congratulate ourselves upon the orderliness and good conduct of the crowds at our race meetings; they will compare very favourably, from all points of view, with any assemblage, whether it be Church, State, or any sport. There has been a certain amount of criticism regarding handicapping lately, but as the appointment of handicappers is under the control of the individual clubs, if there was any serious defect in the adjustment or in the system aa at present obtaining, it is always in the hands of club members to make an alteration. It may be that with the increasing knowledge we are (Steadily gaining as the sport progresses, certain new rules or amendments are necessary for the guidance of the handicappers, and these they would readily welcome and act upon; and in this connexion I would like to eomment upon certain criticism that has been levelled in some quarters against the New Zealand Trotting Association for their action in proposing, from time to time, new rules or amendments to rules. I would like to say, sir, and I am sure that you, with your knowledge of the sport, will agree with me, that there is nobody, club or individual, whose suggestions or, ideas ~-are more worthy of consideration and respect, than those of the New Zealand Trotting Association. This Association is composed of selected men appointed by the clubs of the Dominion, presumably for their knowledge of the sport and for their character and ability. These meet month by month, "and sub-committees more frequently, and before them comes every aspect of the sport, all the difficult and knotty questions and happenings come under "their consideration, and it is the New Zealand Trotting Association to whom the Conference look> with confidence for suggestions and advice de to the rules, and, if the Association should for any cause cease to carry on this sphere of their usefulness, it would be a serious loss to our management and to the progress of trotting. The stipendiary stewards, apparently, still are not working to the satisfaction of some clubs, but as the executive are reporting upon this matter I will not comment further than to say that the stipendiary stewards, as a system, have I come to stay, and it will be the duty of the .Conference to see that the men appointed carry out their duties according to the rules, and also that in doing so they receive all the support of which they are worthy. In conclusion, will vou kindly convey to the assembled delegates my best wishes for a satisfactory and successful Conference, with the hope that during the comincc year more stable conditions will be ruling throughout the world in politics, labour, finance, and eport, and that we may all meet in 1924 with a good year's work behind us, and with a lirhter load to shoulder than we have been carrying during the last two years. —Yours faithfully, H. F. NICOLL. 1 President. VICE-PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. The vice-president then delivered the following address:— Gentlemen, —Following on the re--marks of our President, allow me to expr«s my great pleasure at again meeting the representatives of Trotting Cl. bs in Conference, and 1 am sure you will pardon me if I take advantage of the opportunity of shortly addressing my fellow-delegates upon- matters in which we are ad deeply interested. Unquestionably high-class trotting continues to be appreciated by the public, as ia evidenced oy the large attendance at our meetings, and I desire to sincerely congratulate everyone connected with the sport upon the eminence it has attained, despite somewhat difficult financial conditions. Your executive has clearly recognised that many of our clubs, especially the smaller ones, have been severely financially handicapped during the past few years—whilst many non-totalisator clubs have also found it difficult to carry on their meetings. The financial strain has also been materially felt by owners, overwhelming taxation and transit charges proving far too heavy a burden. I need scarcely remind you that your executive has made every endeavour to. improve matters in this direction, and I fool assured that vou will cordially endorse the hope that what has been done will result in a material reduction of taxation and in the cost of the transport of horses. The carriage of horses has also been keenly watched by the members of the Owners' and Breeders' Association, and I trust their combined efforts will not he fruitless. It is unnecessary for me to reiterate the attempt made last year to secure increased trotting permits—you are all familiar with the subject. The great

and continued support accorded to trotting in all parts of the country justifies us in again approaching our Parliamentary friends on the matter, and I am hopeful that this year our request will 'bo granted. Should my iiope be fulfilled, 1 earnestly desire to impress upon you how necessary it is that we must be absolutely united regarding the allocation of these perm.ts. M.iv I be allowed to suggest that your executive, after affording any delegate an opportunity of placing his claiirs before the members thereof, should be entrusted with the task rather than leave it in the hands of a commission or politician. I feel positive that the gentlemen comorising your executive can- be implicitly trusted to equitably carry out the work. Tuey are necessarily in close touch with the position, and their caref.illy considered decisions ought to prove satisfactory. • You are doubtless a.\aro tnat I have always been a great admirer of the equare-gaited horse. Many clpbs have materially encouraged t<!e unhoppled trotter, and I should like to suggest that still greater encouragerrc t s.houl.l 'oe offered to .the owners of this c ass of horse. It is undoubtedly true that racegoers admiro exhibitions of great speed (especially when a pacer ljl-:e "Happy Voyage" registered such line performances at New Brighton and Auc' land), but I venture to assert that the majority of our patrons prefer watching the straight-out trotte", though I fully recogni.so tiow m> ch the fast pacer has done to build up the eport. Though each year sees the retirement of a number of horses, our lists of nominations clearly show that the leeway is more than balanced by the huge entries received; as a matter of fact I submit that the time lias arrived when something must be done to cope with large fields. It is fairly common to from twenty to thirty horses competing in harness ra/-es. A number of accidents, fortunately so far, unattended with serious results, have taken place, but unless 6ometh n;* is immediately done I fear that we shall not always be so fortunate. l'rac ticallv not one horse in such 'big fields ia offered a fair chance. No owner with a modicum of common sense can support his horse with any confidence, und the same remark applies with equal force to the general supporter of the sport. Last year 1 mentioned that division racing had been sug ,ested as a cure for the large field d isease, but under the existing law this solution of the difficulty is not dobatab'e. After mature consideration, and after discus- j sing- tho matter with a number of pro- j minent sportsmen, I have come to the conclusion that limits must be materially reduced if any lasting improvement is to be effected. It is impossible to race decently under such conditions, and I sincerely trust that clubs will cut down their limits, and so endeavour to secure better and more equitable contests. A few nominations may be lost, ! but the amount which is now recei.ed from these will be more than made up in otr.er ways if the fields are smal er. Har: ess events with, say, 23 to SO starters, are not races at all, but merely scramb'es, with scarcely one redeeming feature. On enquiry from our officials, I find that a marked improvement is noticeable in time-keeping at country meetings. I desire to congratulate licensed riders and drivers on their neat appearance and general good conduct. It is unfortunately true that a few of their number have not exactly been presented with bouquets during the year, but on tho whole they are efficient and a credit to the sport. I am afraid, however, that possibly owing to a mistaken sense of loyalty, thev do not always assist stewards in their efforts 'to discover and, if necessary, punish offenders. Strongly worded accusations and recriminations dispensed in the rooms set aside for tutuse of licensed men pre vicious and useless, and usually lead to the "I'll remember you" policy which simply perpetuates the trouble. Whilst I can understand, if I cannot quite appreciate this protective attitude to tlieir fellows, I hope that any person feeling aggrieved will give officials an opportunity to consider any complaint, instead of_ indulging in unseemly wrangles with each other. In this connexion I should like to say that aggrieved owners could often assist the stewards, but do not do so. Our Stipendiary Stewards have proved themselves to be capable, tactful officials of undoubted integrity, but neither they nor the honorary stewards can see everything, and I sincerely trust that in future everybody will ! combine in' their efforts to perpetuate j the good work already accomplished. I feel sure that though fields are occasionally' small, clubs will continue-j their classic races. Very great inter- j est is always taken by the supporters of trotting in the meeting of young horses on level terms, and there is no j doubt that breeders arul owners keenly i appreciate the possibility that they either raise or own the winner of j a classic contest. j I notice from the reports of our stipendiary officials that several horses have been reported as unruly at the post. Recommendations have also occasionally. been made in accordance with the rules that the nominations of certain- horses should not be accepted; but the matter is quite optional with the clubs. In no case are these recommendations made until a horse has misbehaved himself on more than one occasion and endorsed by starters or stewards, therefore 1 would ask clubs to see if they cannot honour these recommendations. Unruly animals frequently completely spoil the prospective chances of a number of horses, and they should not he allowed on the track until their manners have improved. In conclusion, I may say that a number of interesting remits have been tabled for your consideration', and J trust that your deliberations will prove beneficial to the sport we all wish to see prosper. Balance-sheet. The following balance-sheet was Bubmitted: Receipts—To balance Ist June, 1922, £695 2s 9d: general levy, £173 10s; stipendiary stewards' levy, £1273 15s lOd; stipendiary Btcwaids' levy (1921-22), £l3; racecourse inspecters' levy, £740 5s 4d; Gaming Act notices, £1 4s. £3ls6 17s lid. Payments—By printing, stationery, and advertising, £llß 4s 6d; tia-vellin? cxpens-s, £250 14s; stipendiary stewards, £1337 33s sd; rocccouiso inspectors, i"iS2 Ss 4dr, secretary s Balary, £179 3s 4d; general expanses £GO 9s lid; balance es per bank peas book, £468 is 6d. £3,196 17s lid. Assets—Bank balance, £iQB 4s sd; levieß outstanding, £174 5a 6d. £642 9s lid. Liabilities —Nil. Provident Fund Account. Reoeipts—To" Wauco P.O. Savings Bank, June Ist, 1922, £303 6s 6d; Provident Fund fees £581; refund, 16a 9d; inta;est—war boncls £157 103, inscribed stock £33, P.O Savings Bauk £ll 10s 4d. £lll*2 3s 7d. **•- Payments—By claims paid, Allan, W., £lO 12s Gd Blee, T., £7 10a, Challis, J., £7 12s, Olarkson, T. H., 317 10s. Doheity, J. A., £7 128, Gillard, J. (x., £!JO 10s, Cotton, T. W. senr.. £4 6s Bd, Hawtin. S. It., £54, Jam«s, <3., £25, Kesxns, N. K., £3 183 ed, Kearns, R. L., £2-6 17s, Muir, W. H., £3O, MoWhinney, R., £6 7s 6d, Orange, W., £l3, Paul J. T., £lB Is, Redmond. 8., £7, Reed, G. £4B 6s, Teddy, J., junr.. £lO 18s, Votes, yf' s. £3 Ms, Williams., T., £3l 15s 63, "Williamson, "W., £10—£352 10a Sd; fees refunded, £3. N.Z. Trotting Association—Balance of proportion of expanses, 1921- 2, £100; proportion of expenses, 1921-22, £100; proportion of expenses to 81st May, 1928, £-200; balance P.O- Savings Bank, £406 12s lid. £lll2 8a 7<L, I/iebilities —Accumulated fnnda, £4319 15s Ed. £4919 15a Ed. - „ , Assets—Dominion of N.Z. war Bond^:— £2500 4i peT cent, at £97 10s, £24"7 l(te; 41000* 4J per cent, at £97 10?, £375; accrued interest, £3o—£34-42 !0s; N.Z. Govcrnm-nt Inscribed Stock—£looo, 5i per cent, at £IOOO, £IOOO, accrued inte:est on same £2O i2a Gd—£lo3o 12s 6d; Cash P.O. Savings Bank, £458 123 lid, £4919 15a 6d. THE REMITS DISCUSSED. The sitting of the New Zealand ting Conference occupied a little over five hours. Although there were no very vital questions for consideration, there were some very interesting discussions, and if there were not many changes

made in the rules, the work of the Conference should make for the benefit | of trotting. [ > The first discussion that occurred arose as a .result of the presentation of the balance-sheet of the Provident, Fund. Some of the delegates were of the opinion that the administration charges were rather heavy, and Mr P. Selig, one of the trustees, "said that the trustees had decided to go into the whole question of the charges. The first notice of motion for an amendment of tho rules was that in the name of the New Brighton Trotting Club, which proposed an alteration to Rule 13, so as to prevent the Trotting Association from being represented at the Conference by its president. This has been brought forward on several occasions by the same club, and has been rejected, and it met with no better .fate to-dav. Another proposal by the New Brighton C'lub, that paid officials should not be allowed to act as delegates to the Conference, failed to find a, seconder, and, in view of tho defeat of the club's first proposal in regard to the representation of tho Association at tlu Conference, its delegate withdrew its motion intended to-prevent the Association from having the power to bring notices of motion beforo the Conference. The Canterbury Park Club's proposal to alter the present rule compelling clubs to ( give in stakes not less than tho net amount received from tin totalisator by fixing the amount at 8"> per cent, of the net amount, found some supporters, but it was strenuous !>• opposed by some of tho prominent members of the Conference, and was defeated. In view of this result, the A T ow Brighton delegate did not bring forward his club's proposal for the deletion of the who's of the same ruin, nor did he persevere with tho club's; motions to strike out the rules dealing with re-nominations. The Westland Trotting Club secured the approval of the delegates to a new rule giving one-day clubs the power of accepting re-nominations. The Timaru Trotting Club had, at the reouest of the Canterbury Owners' and Breeders' Association, given notic-3 ft three remits. Two of these, 0110 proposing that all horses without performances should be placed on tha same mark, and tho other proposing that the time for entries and first day acceptances should be fixed at not earlier than five o'clock, nor later th,in eight o'clock, were defeated, but the most important one, that dealing with tho payment of riders' and drivers' fees at scales, was carried. Cluli3 are to be held responsible for the payment of both winning and losing fees, but the rule will not apply in the case of a rider or driver who is the trainer of a horse. The New Zealand Trotting Associa tion's motion for the amendment of Rule 200, under which Acron was disqualified, by placing the matter of disqualification at the discretion of thj stewards, was lost; for, though there was a majority in its favour, it was not sufficient to carry the proposal. A motion brought forward on behalf of the Wellington Trotting Club, to make it compulsory for all staijts to be standing starts was lost, the New Brighton Club's delegate pointing out that his club had taken entries for tlui Derby for two seasons ahead, with the proviso that it was to be n flyinf qtnrt. and this was a contract that could not be broken. The Wellington Ciub, however, succeeded in carrying a proposal making it compulsory for all handicaps to be on the yards system. The Now Zealand Trotting Association's motion, providing for the furnishing of full particulars regarding the performances of foreign horses met with no opposition, nor did the same body's recommendation that all handicaps should bo framed on the basi3 of twelve yards to a second, or six yards to a half-second. At tho request of the Stipendiary Stewards' Committee, a new rule was passed forbidding tho refund of any totalisator investments .after the totalisator ha 3 closed. Mr H. F. Nicoll was unanimously re-elected president, and Mr John Rowe, vice-president. Messrs B. S. Irwin (Dunedin), C. M. Ollivier (Christchurcli) and H. R. Maekenzij (Auckland) were elected tho executive, Mr Ollivier being appointed treasurer.