Conference cost criticised

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 26

Conference cost criticised

Criticism of the expense involved in sending delegates, observers, and their wives to annual meetings of the New Zealand Trotting Conference was made by the president (Mr P. F. O'Brien), at the annual meeting of the Marlborough Trotting Club. The money involved in sending all these persons to the annual meeting, usually involving them arriving on a Wednesday and leaving for home on a Saturday, would be better channelled into stakes or amenities. said Mr O'Brien. “It is obligatory for a club to send a delegate to the conference. I feel that conferences of this nature could be restricted to a delegate from each club attending a working session of one day only, which must surely re-

suit in a considerable saving for all interested in trotting,” he said. The club showed a loss of $3619, against $6524 for the previous year. Much of the loss was attributable to a postponement in June, which resulted in a luss of $7OOO. The club will race in June, 1977, on the Wednesday following a Saturday-Monday meeting in Nelson. Rangiora will race on the Saturday after the meeting at Blenheim. “This is still not the ideal situation,” said Mr O’Brien However, the conference had advised tlie club that it intended extending racing in the 1977-78 season and, it was likely that the four meetings would be spread over a fort-! night instead of one week, as! at present. 1