WELLINGTON RACING CLUB

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 299, 18 September 1928, Page 17

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The annual general meeting of ""■mbers of the Wellington Raring Club vuis 1i - U yesterday. Mr. I. G. Duncan (cw president) presiding. . i. ( >. ••I have much pleasure ' 1 fore .members Um report and -al. ar&x me club lias had a successful season. Good Progress; Increased Iteceipls. “Progress has been well ’./vl'r various receipts •showing an . l . ,H j rcsll jtthe previous year. A surplus las resu > r ed from the year's opera nous . o u n„ to £375 3s. 3d., after making nil anees for depreciation. 'Hl'-AnT'-Lij tincount has been reduced by .-. ; ' U , ,'. v L mi'ls total indebtedness oi the club 11 ' • jtu at a little over £103.000 as compared «nu £122,000 in <uly, 192. x „i ir tnka»e “In view of the eousid<-rabh si in totalisator revenue at th'- I ' vards autumn and winter meetings, 1 ■ { decided to curtail stakes to 11 p „ .] £l4BO. This decision, logell'i.i ' saving in racecourse expenilitinc < - - j has helned the club to attai > tl e surplus shown. In spite ° f . mentioned, the stakes competed fo ■ meetings, in common with f investments, are exceeded ouly by IIOSU <n the Auckland Racing Club. M dm' be • > fortunate in the weather experie. e 10l our race meetings; and this Im n largely responsible tor the satis>iacto j suit of the season’s operations. Course Improvements. “Considerable attention has been given to the maintenance of the tracks <lu n the year. The tan track has been y u "-w ed and widened; a new. fence Ims 1"-“ erected around the inside of B":."]" grass track, to assist in the trainin„ ot two-year-olds. New wiring has asobe i effected between the outside total s-i and the main totalisator house, entail "r, considerable labour on the part ol LjC racecourse staff, who completed of the work during Urn interval betv pen the autumn and winter meetings. - improvements have been made . t 0 grounds during the year, and much ered J is due to the racecourse staff, " 110 - the efficient control of the racecourse superintendent, have done excellent work. Life Membership. “Members will be pleased to learn that the stewards have decided to S'" l ' *• J’' 6 membership to the following gentlLint , who are the oldest contributing members of the club:—Messrs. A. de' B. pi'-i''!?"'.'' C. W. Brodie, G. Cudby. M. ASir George Hunter, Mr. L. M ■ Kane and T. M. Wilford. Each of them has been a member for over twenty-five years, an i it seems fitting that the club should so honour them in recognition of their as- | sistance to the club at a time "hen racing was carried on under very different and more difficult conditions than those obtaining to-day. f , “The members of the club will, J sure, join with me in congratulating aii. . > S. Watkins on his appointment as vicepresident of the New Zealand Racing Conference: We who have witnessed lus untiring efforts on behalf of racing ovei «i period cf many years realise that the Racing Conference have made a wise selection. “The completion of the outside grandstand has been steadily before the stewards for some years; and I am glad to be able to say that notwithstanding the bilities of the club, they have decided that the time has come when they can prudently proceed with this work. The plans have been approved, and the work will be commenced forthwith, and should be iinished in about eighteen months’ time. It will be a satisfaction for members to know that this stand will provide excellent accommodation for the outside public, who have for so many years supported the club s meetings. “Another member who passed away since last we met here is Mr. W. H. Turnbull, who for some years was a steward of the club. His death will be mourned by many friends. I desire also to express, on behalf of the club, our sincere sympathy to Sir George Clifford in his present illness. It is the hope of all of us that he will soon be restored to his usual good health. “With the kind permission of the Hon. the Minister of Internal Affairs and of the president of the Racing Conference, the Marlborough Racing Club held their autumn meeting on Trentham racecourse. Nine weather favoured the club and the meeting was a success. The Marlborough Club have expressed their appreciation of this concession, and inform us that the results will enable them to carry on. “The Railway Department has, without accident, carried the majority of the racing public to our meetings, and our thanks arc due to its ollicers for their kind attention and courtesy at all times. No little praise is due to our secretary, his assistants, the permanent ollicials, and race day staff for the satisfactory manner in which their duties have been carried out. Mr. O. S. Watkins, in seconding the motion, commented upon the improved financial position of tlie club and referred to the facilities that were to bo provided for the outside public. After all, it. was the ten shilling investor who provided the “sinews of war’’ and so far as the Wellington Club was concerned, they represented 40 per cent, of the turnover. IVIr. T. M. Wilford congratulated the club on the attention being paid to the outside enclosure. Tn his opinion the Wellington inside enclosure, accommodation and stands were unequalled in the world. The cost also was remarkably cheap by comparison and he gave instances of prohibitive charges on courses he had visited during his recent tour. Wellington was in the forefront of racing clubs from all points of view. Mr. I. G. Duncan was elected president unopposed. The following retiring stewards were re-elected:—Messrs. D. M. Findlay, W. Higgins, V. Riddiford, and C. D. Tringham, while Mr. D. G. A. Cooper was elected in the place of Mr. J. W. Abbott, who was nominated unopposed to the vacant vice-presidency formerly held by Mr. I. G. Duncan. The meeting placed on record its appreciation of ' the valuable services rendered by the course superintendent, Mr. N. Baley, and his staff. BROADCASTING RACES REASONS FOR THE BAN The decision of the New Zealand racing authorities to prohibit the broadcasting of races from the courses was touched upon by Mr. I. G. Duncan in his report to the annual meeting of the Wellington Racing Club yesterday. “As you are probably aware,” said Mr. Duncan, “the New Zealand Racing and Trotting Conferences have resolved that radio broadcasting of race meetings during the progress of racing shall be prohibited by all clubs. 1 feel that it may be of interest to members to know the main reasons which weighed with the club’s delegates in supporting this resolution. “Eliminating altogether the question of any payment for tlie privilege of broadcasting, it was felt that, owing to the almost complete absence of a leisured class in New Zealand, only a small percentage of listeners-in are in a position to spend the day enjoying the broadcasting of the races from the course. Of this section, the vast majority could only listen-in at the expense of their duties ami avocations, thus reducing their productive capacity, causing friction with their employers and economic loss to the country. In fact, 1 venture to predict that, if the broadcasting of races during the progress of the racing becomes a general practice, it will not be long before Parliament, in the interests of tlie community, will step in and put a slop to the broadcasting of all sporting events until after working hours. But, apart from these results, any or all of which would be very damaging to racing, the great bulk of listeners-in would be denied the opportunity of hearing the races broadcast. In the interests of the subscribers to the Broadcasting Company themselves, therefore, it: will be seen that the decision of the Racing Conferences is a wise one. / “The Conference lias put forward a counter proposition which seems eminently more beneficial to all concerned. It is suggested that, a representative of tlie Broadcasting Association, together with a stenographer, be invited to the racecourse as guests of the club and supplied with the best accommodation, so that they may report the race as it is in progress. This report would be broadcast after working hours at such a time as would be convenient for everyone. “These, then, are the reasons which actuated the club’s delegates In supporting the resolution of the Conference; and I feel sure that, with those facts before you. you will endorse (heir action in &o doing.”