DELIBERATE SLIGHT

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10664, 14 August 1928, Page 5

DELIBERATE SLIGHT

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB’S COMPLAINT.

DISSATISFACTION WITH CONFERENCE SIBLINGS. WILE NOT SUBMIT TO INJUSTICE. . CAN MORE EASILY RUN THEIR OWN SHOW. (Press Association./ AUCKLAND, Aug. 13. The fact that the Auckland Racing Club has no representation on the executive committee recently elected by Iho conference, formed the subject of complaint by the president. Sir Edwin Mitchelson, at the annual meeting of the club to-day. Sir Edwin said the voting was erroneously taken on the one man one vote principle, and this gavp the country clubs nominees a certain majority, with the result that two country nominees were elected, and the noininoo of the Auckland Club was excluded, leaving the Auckland Racing Club, admittedly one. of the most important clubs in the Dominion, entirely without representation. The club did not intend to Bubrnit to this injustice, and were taking steps to insist upon strict adherence to the rules under which the conference was established, for in his opinion . the whole procedure on this occasion was not -only quite iriegu'iar, but also a very deliberate slight to the Auckland -Racing Club. After referring to the trouble over the allocation of the Labor Day date in the Waikato, Sir Edwin said the aims and objects of the Racing Conference would, be readily admitted to bo excellent, and there was no doubt that much good work has been accomplished through its agency. Auckland, however', had on several occasions reason to feel aggrieved at the treatment meted out to it, and at times it appeared that unless alterations were made in such matters os the ‘administration efi conference affairs, the continual sapping" of the powers of district committees, and tho curtailment of the freedom of action of individual chili'-' hr. ):'■

ing strain would be reached, and the future of sport jeopardised, “This clearly indicated that’ clubs of Auckland and its metropolitan area, which contained one-third of the whole population of the dominion, could more easily land more economically run their own show,*’ lie said. To demonstrate this, the -speaker pointed out that other chibs that had less than half the attendances they had at Ellerslie, and .whose contributions to the cost of the racing conference amounted to only about half of what the Auckland Club paid, were granted extra assistance from stipendiary stewards and- racecourse inspectors, without additional cost, but when the Auckland- Committee asked to be similarly treated they were coolly informed by the conference that they could only have the .services of an extra man by further payment. The ' club was evidently looked on as purely a milch cow, and was certainly being treated as such, -and this, in fact, applied to tlie whole of the Auckland metropolitan area, but notliwithstanding all this, the committee were still prepared to bury the past and carry on in the hope that Anckltind’s claim would be treated with more consideration and respect in future, and ; perhaps by means of found table talks front time to time, all likhliood of cause for complaint, would be removed. Tho president outlined a scheme of improvements including a, how ■members' stand, further extension of the course, and the improvement and extension of the- totalisntor houses, tlie total cost involved being £200,000. A contract had been let for new number boards, the most up-to-dato in Australia or New Zealand, which would cost £I2OO.