GREYMOUTH TROTTING CLUB

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 September 1945, Page 7

GREYMOUTH TROTTING CLUB

LONGER_TRACK ADVOCATED

“Unless we have a track of at least five furlongs we will not get the faster class horses here, and until we get those better class horses racing .we are not going to get the increased interest in the sport,” said Mr. C. L. Kettle at the 55th annual meeting 'of the Greymouth Trotting Club last evening, in advocating the lengthening of the present four-furlong track 'to five furlongs. The present track, added Mr. Kettle, was about the smallest in New Zealand. He knew there were plans for a five-furlong track and he thought the committee ought .o keep in mind the use of bulldozers and other modern machinery and the utilisation of any extra cash in the lengthening of the track. I%e President, Mr. E. McDonnell said the club was improving the n-ound steadily and levelling it off with a view to making a five-furlong track, but there was an open sewer which would have to be piped before the track could be made five furlongs and that work would have to be done by the Borough. As far as getting the better class horses to race at Greymouth was concerned it was his opinion that a lot depended on the money that could be offered, and Greymouth was a comparatively small community. The making of a fivefurlong track was one of the objects of the committee. I Mr. Kettle said that a lot of owners ! would not race at Greymouth because : of the smallness of the track. I Mr. T. Oxenham suggested that the ; committee ask the Borough Council to iuse some rehabilitation moneys to ' pipe the drain and then the club could go ahead with the necessary filling. In reply to Mr. J. Steel the President said that surveys would have to be made before the club was sure it would not have to go outside its own property to enlarge the track to five furlongs. No motion was proposed in regard to’ the enlargement of the track. Mr. E. McDonnell presided over a fair attendance of members. Thp annual report, as previously published in the “Star” was read and adopted. The balance sheet, showing a loss of £284/15/2 on the past year was received. Principal items of expenses were:— Government taxes £6051/13/9; stakes, £4510; working totalisatox- £9BO/6/9; wages and salaries (secretary and caretaker), £748/6/-; repairs and maintenance, £702/5/7; interest, £562 19/-; depreciation, £328/10/-; rents, rates and insurance, £296/10/7. The income of £14,602/12/10 during the year came in the main from: Totalisator, £10,841/3/6; gates, £1412/2/6; nominations and acceptances. £BB6 9/-; refund Government taxation, £500; members’ subs., £2Bl/8/-; race cards, £238/15/10. Assets were shown at £27,543/9/-, including £25,779/2/8 for plant and property and £lOOO at fixed deposit, and liabilities included: Loans on mortgage and accrued interest, £15,671/2/11; contingent liabilities, £2BOO/8/9; accumulated fund £8856/13/6. Discussing the balance sheet the President said it was not as good as the club would have liked to present but three wet days were experienced. The totalisator figures were a record, but gates and other sources of receipts were down and there had been considerable damage to property by gales. He thought that this year there would be a big improvement; there was a chance of another meeting and he thought the club could look forward to a successful year. The balance sheet was adopted on the motion of Messrs T. A. IV. Tate and H. R. Reid, Officers were elected as follow: — President, Mr. E. McDonnell (reelected); vice-presidents, Dr. W. McKay, Messrs F. McGregor and T. Oxenham; committee, Messrs H. G. Carter, T. E. Coates, J. W. Hannan, C. L. Kettle, P. C- Heaphy, W. Meldrum, G. R. Harker, C. Neville, F. W. Shallcrass, H. R. Reid, W. E. J. Steer, T A. W. Tate and J. Steel, with one member to be appointed by the committee; auditor, Mr. PI. Herring (reelected L The President extended a welcome to Mr. Neville who recently returned to the West Coast after service overseas with thb Armed Forces. Mr. Neville thanked the club for re-electing him as a member of the committee last year while he was overseas. It was decided to write to Dr. J. F. C. Moore and Mr. C. Watson expressing sympathy with them in their illness and wishing them a speedy recovery. On the motion of Messrs Oxenham and Heaphy the new committee was •instructed to consider the closing of the books of the club earlier with a view to holding the annual meeting earlier.

MORE ENTERPRISE SUGGESTED

Mr. Steel said the club would have to show a bit more enterprise in the future than in the past five or six years if it was to go ahead. In those last few years the club had not made the progress it should have made; it had not been very progressive outside some filling on the ground. “We still stick to the October meeting and we run up against a brick wall in Oamafu,” he added. “Now Forbury have been given October 13 for a meeting and I think that will affect us.” If we are going to adopt a ‘dog in the manger’ attitude and stick to the October dates we will go downhill.” He added that he supported Mr. Kettle in his statement that a fivefurlong track was needed. Mr/Oxenham said he agreed with Mr. Steel that Forbury would make a difference to Greymouth but the trouble was to get two days together for a two-day meeting under the war regulations. October week-end gave the only two days the club could get together. He would be with Mr. Steel for a change of date if they could get two days running at some other time of the year. . In reply to a question by Mr. Steel, Mr. Heaphy said that the Forbury date had been allotted after the annual conference—it was one of the extra days. ... , „ The discussion lapsed without a resolution being put. . Mr. Coates said the President ana the committee were to be congratulated on the improvements made at Victoria Park during the past three years. He thought the dates would be found to be alright from now on with the war over. He agreed with the desire to have the track lengthened but in fairness to the people who had had all the worry of the finance of the club for so many" years it had to be conceded that the recovery had been marvelio1 The President expressed his thanks en behalf of the club to the secretary i (Mr. W. E. Pring), the committee, Mudges, officers, time-keepers, caretaker and call stewards for their work during the year.