TROTTING Casting Vote Used To Change T.A.B. Pay-out

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30803, 15 July 1965, Page 5

TROTTING Casting Vote Used To Change T.A.B. Pay-out

The casting vote of the chairman (Mr G. H. Grigg) had decided the change in the basis of distribution of profits of the Totalisator Agency Board announced on Monday, said the president (Mr W. H. Roche) at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference in Christchurch yesterday.

Mr Roche was replying to Mr D. J. Little (Taranaki) who had asked him to clarify the position regarding the effect of the change in distribution on small clubs.

Mr Grigg had moved at a meeting of the board in Wellington on Monday that the basis of distribution of profits be on combined on and off-course turnover.

Mr Roche had moved an amendment that the profits be distributed on an on and offcourse basis, with 15 per cent of the total being retained and distributed equally to all clubs. That amendment had been defeated on the casting vote of the chairman, said Mr Roche.

The board had the right to adopt one of three methods when distributing its profits. On-course investments only, off-course investments only, or the two combined could be used, he said, while in addition, a proportion could be withheld to distribute equally among the clubs. “The two conferences have no power to alter any decision of the board,” continued Mr Roche. “A non-statutory body cannot over-rule a statutory body.” Mr Little: You haven’t said whether the smaller clubs will be better or worse off. Mr Roche: Worse off. A remit to be considered by the annual meeting of the New Zealand Racing Conference in Wellington on Friday sought to divert some of the T.A.B. pay-out to subsidising clubs which provided training facilities, said Mr Roche. Suggestion Mr Little then asked if the executive would consider redistributing 15 per cent of the pay-out to trotting clubs on an equal basis. Mr Roche: We can’t allocate the board’s profits. Mr Little: I understand the racing authorities are going to. Mr Roche: Going to try. The executive was watching the position closely and he

hoped something could be done to help the smaller i clubs, said Mr Roche. A recommendatoin that the i executive devise ways and ' means of helping the small clubs was then proposed by Mr P. R. Bridgens (Auckland) and passed

The conference should make 1 efforts to form a pool from ’ which smaller clubs could be 1 subsidised, said Mr Bridgens. 1 His club would be better off . by some £5OOO as a result of the changed method of dis- , tributing profits and it would i be prepared to do its best to I

contribute to the losses which would be suffered by the smaller clubs. His club had always helped smaller clubs, said Mr Bridgens. The Manawatu club would benefit by from £5500 to £6OOO as a result of the two meetings run for it by the Auckland club in May. Mr Roche congratulated the Auckland club on the practical assistance it had given the Manawatu club.