GREY TROTTING CLUB ADOPTS REVISED RULES

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1948, Page 8

GREY TROTTING CLUB ADOPTS REVISED RULES

An important provision in the revised rules which were adopted at a meeting of the Greymouth Trotting Club last evening is that each year one-third of the members of the committee (other than officers) shall retire from office, but shall be eligible for re-election. The members of the committee to retire each year shall be those members who have been longest in office. As between two or more members of equal seniority the members to retire shall be determined by lot at a meeting of the committee to be held prior to the date of nominations.

In the past all members of the committee have retired every year, but have been eligible for re-elec-tion. The new rules also provide for the election of the president, two vicepresidents, treasurer, and a committee of 12 at the annual general meetI ing. In the past the treasurer has been appointed by the committee. I Mr F. McGregor, of Hokitika, was i elected an honorary life vice-presi-dent to honour an agreement made with the Westland Trotting Club some years ago. The rules were revised by a committee comprising Messrs W. E. J. Steer, E. Miller, and J. Saunders, and were modelled on the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s rules. Mr Saunders explained the revision to the meeting, after which the rules were adopted, with one or two minor amendments. When the meeting opened the president referred at some length to the serious loss suffered by the club in the death of Mr P. C. Heaphy, who had been a most valuable member of the club for many years. He had, said Mr Steel, done a tremendous amount of work in the interests - of the club and the sport generally as Secretary of the club for many years, then as president, and later as a member of the Trotting Association. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to the memory of Mr Heaphy. Review Of The Year Reviewing the report and balancesheet, the president said the club had had a fairly successful year, and considering the fact that there was rain on three of the club’s five racing days, the year had turned out very satisfactorily. The January meeting had been one of the most successful in the history of the club. A considerable amount of money had been made, probably offsetting the losses of the October meeting. The com.mittee viewed with great satisfaction the manner in which the track stood up to the rain and the racing at the Easter Monday meeting, and how quickly it dried out. It seemed that a very satisfactory job had been done and that a better footing had been provided for the horses. It was noteworthy that there had not been an accident on the course since the reconstruction. Mr Steel added that the track improvements had all been practically carried out, but quite a lot of filling was still required. There should not, however, be a great deal of expenditure required on the track in the near future, except for maintenance. Commenting on the progress of further improvements proposed by the committee, the president said that, three new patrol boxes had been erected, but quite a lot of work was still required. Unfortunately the difficulty in securing building permits and materials was hampering the aims of the committee, which included a small stand for owners and trainers, which would relieve some of the congestion on the present grandstands. The club must also not lose sight of the fact that if certain of the proposals of the Gaming Commission, involving the telegraphing of bets to the course and the provision of a doubles totalisator were adopted, the club might be faced with more expense. _ Mr Steel thanked the committee members for the co-operation given to him during the year and for their wholehearted work in the interests of the club. He also referred to the

services of the honorary judges and surgeons. Seconding the motion for the reception of the report and balancesheet, the treasurer, Mr W. E. J. Steer, pointed out that £2400 had been paid off the indebtedness of the club during the past year and in two years approximately £15,000 had been paid out in maintenance and repairs for the track. He added that the club finished the year with a failcredit balance and he thought the financial position could be considered quite satisfactory. The report and balance-sheet were adopted, on the motion of Messrs J. Saunders and E. W. Miller. Election Of Officers The following officers were elected:—President, Mr Jas. Steel (reelected);. vice-presidents, Messrs T. Oxenham, E. McDonnell, and F. McGregor; committee, Messrs C. L. Kettle, C. Neville, J. Saunders, H. G. Carter, D. Heaphy, J. O’Donnell, T. E. Coates, W. Meldrum, F. Costello, E. Miller, R. Reid, W. E. J. Steer (all re-elected), and A. Ivl. Jamieson; auditor, Mr H. Herring (re-elected). No ballots were necessary, only the required number of nominations being received for each of the offices. Mr F. W. Shallcrass, whose resignation, because of his departure from the district, was received with regret, was elected a life member of the club. Several- members, including the president and Messrs T. E. Coates and E. McDonnell, spoke of the excellent work done by Mr Shallcrass for the club since its early years. The president paid tributes to the secretary (Mr W. E. Pring), who, he said, had done a wonderful job for the club, the caretaker and his staff, the grounds committee, and the press. He also paid a special compliment to Mrs T. Mclntosh and her staff for their excellent work in the tearooms on race days, stating that he had been told by visitors that nowhere else in New Zealand had they experienced such excellent tearoom.service as at Greymouth. It was decided to write to Mr F. McGregor (vice-president), of Hokitika, wishing him a speedy recovery from his illness. - ELIMINATION BY BALLOT PROPOSED BY TROTTING CLUBS (P.A.) TIMARU, August 12. A move sponsored by the South Canterbury Owners,’ Trainers’ and Breeders’ Association to assist in the elimination of division races was discussed by representatives of South Island associations in Timaru today, and was later endorsed at a confer-