Discussion ruled out

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32661, 17 July 1971, Page 8

Discussion ruled out

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON.

A group of North Island representatives failed, in efforts to initiate a discussion, at the annual meeting of the Racing Conference yesterday of aspects of the report of the Royal Commission on racing.

Mr P. G. Vercoe, the Waikato representative on the conference -executive, sought the permisison of the meeting to comment on references to the proposed legislation made by the president (Mr R. A. Whyte) in his annual report.

Mr Whyte told Mr Vercoe that a discussion could not proceed unless on a vote with a two-thirds majority. “I want to see who is going to vote against me,” Mr Vercoe said when pressing his claim for a discussion on what he regarded as matter of vital interest to racing. “To think that something that concerns us closely will probably be taken out of our lands is quite wrong,” Mr Vercoe said.

Mr W. S. Macky (Waipa Racing Club) said he felt it was unfair that they should have to get a two-thirds majority vote before being allowed to discuss matters concerned with the Royal commission in the president’s report.

He was supported by Mr B. G. Jew (Rotorua Racing Club) and W. G. Prince . (Whangarei). Mr Macky urged the exe- ! cutive to do something to ■ make

the voting ssytern at the conference more democratic. Mr Prince said he believed that the present method of voting created situations at the Royal commission might have felt should be improved. Mr Vercoe secured 87 votes on his resolution asking for a discussion but there were 95 opposing votes. Earlier the Auckland Racing Club and Auckland Dis-

trict Committee almost managed to effect a change to the rules concerning the methods of electing the conference president and vicepresident.

Mr N. A. Thomson (Auckland Racing Club) called for a change in the present system in which the president and vice-president are elected at the annual meeting from members of the executive, The Auckland resolution provided that neither the president nor the vice-presi-dent need be a representative and that nominations for those officers should be notified to the secretary of the conference by June 15 so that they could be included in the order paper. There were 118 votes for the proposal and 64 against. One-hundred-and-twenty-two votes would have been required for the resolution to go through.

The president Mr R. A. Whyte remarked on the close voting and told representatives that the executive “would have another look at this matter.”

One of the arguments favouring the resolution to earn fairly wide approval was put forward by Mr J. A. L. Bennett (Manawatu). He said the present position was wrong in that it restricted to 10 people the choices for the two top positions. This presupposed that only people suitable for the positions were those appointed to tlie executive committee.

Mr W. R. Stead (Hawke's Bay) held an opposing view. He said he would be apprehensive of any men attempting to fill racing's top positions without experience of serving on the executive committee.