ANNUAL MEETING

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 267, 7 August 1941, Page 3

ANNUAL MEETING

Wellington Trotting Club

The Wellington Trotting Club held its annual meeting in Petone last night, .lr. J. E. August presided. Mr. August said that the stewards, in framing programmes, were constantly exercised to cater for classes ot horses which would provide interesting racing, and also sufficiently large fields to provide good totalizator betting. Thm was one of the most difficult duties, but in his opinion, the success of the n ) e < , et ‘“° a clearly indicated that the stewards conclusions in framing programmes met with public approval. . There were many more improvements needed at Hutt Park, but they were not pressing, and would be undertaken as occasion warranted. The income and expenditure account included these figures, those for the previous season being given in parentheses:— Stake’s, (£11.850): Governnieni tax, £17,735 (£16,632); amusement tax. £385 (£380) ; totalizator returns, £3L,iO.J (£30,821) ; gates, £3500 (£3426) ; balance of net profit to accumulated fund, lb. (£2751). The balance-sheet showed ibUi) reserve for taxes, and £17,705 accurnuMr. August said that £3OO bad been donated to patriotic purposes. Mr. Scott Ramsay complained that the dividend indicator lit Hutt Park was the most trying thing any betting man hau to contend with. . . Mr. August replied that the matter had caused concern to the stewards, but he could not see as much wrong with it a 3 suggested. The club had a manual seller and manual indicator, and the same re suits could not be expected as from electric totalizators like those at Irenthani and Addington., The situation created by the rush of last-minute investments had to be considered. The computation of sueh late investments took time. A member with considerable experience of selling, said that 75 per cent, of 300 tickets he sold on one race at a recent meeting went through in the last 10 minutes. No better service could be had than the club got from its totalizatoi proprietor. Air. J. B. Lauehhin and Mr. G. Lancaster offered trophies for the most successful driver and trainer in the 1941-42 season.

A motion to hold the next annual meeting in Wellington was lost. Officers elected were: —Patron. Mr. Fagan, M.L.C.; -president, Mr. J. E. August; hon. treasurer, Mr. John Sharpe; vice-presidents, Messi's. J. Elviues, A, L. Johnson, IL ,1. Palmer, E. Price, A. M. Samuel, J. W. Sharpe. J. F. Thompson; stewards, Messrs. J. E. August, H. L, August, A. Anderson, E. P. Armstrong, J. Bentley, F. S. Hewer, S. W. Kelly. J. McDonald, V. C. McPhail, H. E. Nicholls, A. Pirie, A. Pope, 11. A. Ryder, John Sharpe, M. C. Walker.