SPORTING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 9 July 1924, Page 4

SPORTING.

TROTTING CONFERENCE. ALTERATION OF RULES. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASFOOIATION.' WELLINGTON, July S. The trotting conference opened today, Mr. H. F. Nicholls (president) being in the chair. The conference rejected a proposal to alter rule 13 to delete the provision that the president of the New Zealand Trotting Association shall be entitled to a seat at the conference. ‘lt also- rejected an addition to rule 65 dealing with the alteration in the date of any meeting, and of a provision that the approval of the president of the association of such alteration shall not be given until the- clubs in the same district have been notified and given an opportunity to lodge an objection. On behalf of the New Zealand Trotting Association ■ an addition was made to rule 16, providing that any person causing to be published or communicated or sent- to the committee or steward of any trotting club or to the New Zealand Trotting Association or conference, or to any officer of such club, association or conference, any statement, comment or expression of opinion upon any question which is sub jndice, with intent to influence'the decision upon such question, shall be guilty of contempt and may be fined any sum not exceeding £150" or disqualified. It was decided to bar altogether the assumed name of owners in trotting. Mi* Nicoll was elected president and Mr. Rowe (Auckland) vice-president. Messrs. B. S. Irwin, H. R,. MacKerizie and, O. M. Ollivier were re-elected to the executive. Resolutions proposed, dealing with the branding and registration of horses were referred to the executive; The resolutions proposed that the fullest details must be provided in the' application for registration and for compulsory branding. It was resolved to add the following to rule 146: “Provided further that tv hen a hors© has boon registered under the age of two- years it shall be reregistered on arriving at that age, and application for re-registration shall comply in all inspects with the original application for re-registration.” Rule 153 a, is to be altered to provide that the owner of a registered trotting horse shall notify forthwith the association m the event of the death of such horse.

COUNTRY RACING CLUBS. a WELLINGTON, July 8. At th© annual confer©no© of th© New* Zealand Country Racing Clubs a resume of the year’s operations was given, the financial position being satisfactory. The president, Mr. Jewett (Foxton), referred to a deputation to the Pnrae Minister. It- was hoped clubs would get relief .from, taxation. Many clubs were showing a loss, anil relief was urgently required. The valuable assistance of Mr. Albert Bruce (Thames) was referred to, arid it was decided to send a letter regretting his absence and illness. _ Mr. Lyon expressed the opinion that the tax on totalisator receipts should be graduated on flat, rates. A gradua^ ed f aK might relieve the country clubs. It wa-s decided to make representations to this effect to the Prime Minister. • Mr. Race (Thames) suggested a reduction to I * per cent. •’ “Not Buckley’s chance.” If the country clubs could not carry on he added, they would go out, and' they would be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. He had heard that exemption was likely under a certain sum but it. sounded too good to be true ’ It was decided to write to the affiliated clubs on the matter of reducing the expenses in regard, to stipendiaries and racecourse detectives, and reeom™>ldo bem 1° cfcase _ contributions to the sports Protection League One member expressed the, opinion, that, if they could not look after their own interestswithout paying another associatloJJ LoOO, it was a poor, look-out. The elections of officers resulted as follows: President, Mr. W. Jewett; vice-president, Mr. J. Kennedy (Geraldine) ; executive, Messrs. E Rr Neale D .J Evans, and F. Roche (bouth Island), Hon. E. A. Alison /v TiNf £ n,ce a,TKI W. A. Lyon (North Island).