TROTTING Effects Of Hororata Decision Deplored

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 5

TROTTING Effects Of Hororata Decision Deplored

Trotting would suffer as a result of the decision of the Hororata Trotting Club not to centralise at Rangiora, the retiring president (Mr O. J. Watson) told the annual meeting of the club last week. The committee had recommended centralisation, which had been approved by members. Later at a special meeting the decision had been reversed.

“The attitude of some members is something that I am not prepared to tolerate. For this reason I have decided not to seek re-election as president for the coming season,” said Mr Watson.

Mr Watson thanked all those who had supported him during his term of office. He reported the resignations of two of the club’s greatest supporters, a patron, Mr O. Hutchinson, and a vice-presi-dent, Mr W. R. Oliver. Most of the club’s officers during the negotiations on centralisation did not seek re-election.

A profit of £6Ol was reported by Mr Watson in his review of the year’s activities. “However, it is my opinion that this came about because a lot of people attended believing this was the club’s last meeting at Hororata. Also, for most of the year the Hororata Racing Club bore half the cost of maintenance,” said Mr Watson. Mr Watson then discussed the expenses tn be faced by the dub. “As mentioned in my report last year there is expense ahead of about £4273,” he said. In future the trotting club would have to bear the whole cost of course maintenance. For the year ended the extra cost to the dub would have been £442, made up of insurance costing £lO4, rent £3O, repairs and maintenance £3O, work on the course £52, and depredation £226. The £442 was the amount which the racing dub had paid, but it had to be remembered that that club had not been concerned with maintaining the course for racing. The trotting dub had no chance of receiving the £2400

owing to the racing dub by way of the } per cent levy, said Mr Watson. R was obvious that the club’s turnover at its 1967 annual meeting would be down on the 1966 meeting, continued Mr Watson. The dub had applied to race on January 28, a date sought by the Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Forbury Park Trotting Clubs, and the Auckland, Wellington and Wairoa Racing Clubs. In 1966 the dub had been opposed only by the Waikato Trotting Club and the Franklin and Wellington Racing Clubs. Officers elected were:— Patron, Mr E. H. Sime; president, Mr K. P. O’Sullivan; vice-presidents, Messrs R. Dorman, L. T. Derrett, J. 0. Ferguson, R. G. Hynam, R. Oliver, J. Oliver, B. G. Thwaites; committee and stewards, Messrs C. L. Blakely, D. K. Coleman, W. S. T. Foote, W. F. Gerard, B. A. Gilmore, S. J. Hutton, E. Mee, A. D. Oliver, L. A Pearce, W. T. R. Rowe, T. P. Stevens, T. H. Brankin, H. V. Thorne, T. K. Ferguson, C. Hunt.