DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 24948, 20 August 1943, Page 5

DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

ANNUAL MEETING The annual general meeting of the Duuedin Jockey Club was held last evening. Mr L. C. Hazlett, vice-president, was in the chair, and about 30 members were present. In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet, the Chairman said that it had been a very strenuous year, and members, owners, and trainers had been handicapped by the military being in occupation of the course. But the club was greatly indebted to the camp commandant, Captain Paterson, who had dono everything possible to make things go smoothly at the race meetings and during training operations. Though the club's cash assets showed a big increase, there wore liabilities ahead that made the position not quite so rosy as the statement of accounts indicated. Even supposing the course and appointments were handed back to the club in the order they were taken over by the military, there were several eostlv replacements to be made. The course and "training tracks were in excellent order, the latter probably the best in the Dominion. He referred to the success of Otago and 'Southland bred, owned, and trained horses in the leading races of the Dominion. Next to Kindergarten, The Joker, and Royal Lancer, winners of the Wellington and New Zealand Cups respectively, were the best two-mile horses in New'Zealand, and Bashful Lady and AngloIrish had recently added to the success of Southland, while "earlier in the season Lord Nuffield had shown himself to be the best sprinter in the country. Good stakes had attracted good horses to their meetings, and the largely-increased attendances had shown that meetings at Wingatui were popular with the racing public. Ho specially thanked the Railway Department for its assistance in the transport of racehorses and the large crowds to Wingatui on race days, also the caretaker and his staff for their good work, carried out under difficult, conditions.

Mr F. E. Tyson seconded the motion, which was carried.

Mr H. Rcid asked if the committee could not make an arrangement with the Otago Hunt to admit members. of the club free to the latter's annual race meeting. With racing reduced to five days, members were paving much more in admission charges than non-members.—The Chairman explained that the Hunt Club paid £250 for the use of the course, and promised that

the request of Mr Reid would be considered by the committee. Mr Tyson said that at the present time the club was forced to have only one enclosure, but when the property was again in the club's own hands lie strongly favoured continuing as at present, and instanced the success of this system on Southland courses.

. In commenting on the balance sheet, the lion, treasurer, Mr A. N. Smith, said that since the committee had worked the totalisator a considerable saving had been made. Previously the club paid LJf per cent., but at the spring meeting the cost had worked out at 1.153 per cent., at the summer meeting 1.255 per cent., and at the recent winter meeting 1.098 per cent. Mr Halslead asked if the centre of the course could not be made to look a little more attractive.—The Chairman explained that it would be difficult to do so, as ell the soil had been stripped off it to topdress the racing and training tracks. As there were no other nominations for the offices, Messrs A. C. Hanlon and L. C. Hazlett were re-elected president and vicepresident respectively. The election for the four vacancies on the committee resulted: —F. E. Tyson 272, A. Clark 253, R. 'W. Wilson 236, A. P. Greenfield 195 (elected), and D. H. Blackie 168. Messrs Maclean and Paterson were re* appointed auditors.