RACING CONFERENCE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11129, 23 January 1899, Page 4

RACING CONFERENCE.

ALTERATION IK METROPOLITAN DISTRICTS. [by telegraph.] Wellington, Sunday. The New Zealand Bating Conference held a special meeting last night respecting the alterations in the metropolitan districts, Sir George Clifford, president, in the chair. The Auckland and Canterbury country clubs, Dunedin and Otago country clubs, Hawke'B Bay, Wanganui, Wellington and Wellington country clubs, Nelson, Greymouth, and Marlborough. country clubs combined, Greymouth and Nelson were, represented. A proposal that Poverty Bay should lie removed from the Auckland district to Hawke'a Bay was agreed to. A long debate ensued respecting the alteration in the West Coast, South Island, metropolitan districts. The Chairman explained that the Colonial Secretary desired the number of small i metropolitan clubs should be reduced. The Hon. Mr Carroll had pointed out that Marlborough had only two subordinate clubs, Nelson two, and Greymouth one. The Marlborough Club had expressed its willingness to join Canterbury, but Greymouth and Nelson had shown a disinclination to be deprived of metropolitan functions, neither would-' they consent to become subordinate to another. Mr Finney, Nelson, and Mr Petrie, Greymouth, vigorously supported the interests of their respective clubs. It was ultimately decided that the Hokitika district should combine with the Canterbury Club, and that all clubs north of the Canterbury Jockey Club boundary be one metropolitan club, and it was left to the country clubs interested, viz., Westport, Eeefton, and Kumara, to decide by a vote of the majority, within a month, whether Nelson or Westland should be the metropolitan club. Marlborough was formerly declared to be under the jurisdiction of Canterbury.