TROTTING.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 14, 28 August 1930, Page 12

TROTTING.

WELLINGTON CLUB

ANNUAL MEETING

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR

. .What was described! by the.president; Mr E. A. Armstrong as '.".the.", very ■best' annual report' and balance-sheet in its history," received the unanimous approval of a very large attendance of'the Wellington Trotting Club held at Petone last week. "It is no exaggeration to say "'said Mr Armstrong in presenting the annual report, which was adopted, "that the past year has been a" very strenuous one. for the club an&i that the.work done at the Hutt Park can only be described as stupendous. The club tookdts courage in its hands and incurred an overdraft of. £5000 to carry out the very inueh needed improvements if the sport in- Wellington was to hold the public estimation. The result has fully justified, the action of the club. "The last year was also -the niosfe sue» cessful one in the history of.the club, both in the attendances and the amount of money invested on the totalisator. "When the further improvements to •which the stewards have conunittea the club are carried out about. £4000 >o£ the" overdraft will have been absorbed, butthere is no doubt that with luek'the club will be out of debt at the end of : tie < coming season." CLUB COMPLETES WORI£ , Reference was made by Mr Armstrong to the fact that, due to circumstances over which it had no control,'but did its best to prevent the dub liad to complete, the work which the contractor found himsuf unable to do. Credit for the completion must be given to Mr J. August," who supervised the work on behalf of the club, and without whose assistance it could not have been nearly so well done. '' Already,'' said Mi- Armstrong, ' ' a start has been made with the building of a grandstand for the>outside public, who have stood by the club always. The work now being carried, on also includes; accommodation for horses and trainers , and will provide a track for all weathers." THE CpSTDER TRACK Mr Armstrong detailed the difficulties encountered in connection with the cinr der track which in his opinion^ was now', one of the finest south of the line. T^his. was borne out by the performances of Wellington horses elsewhere. They cqulgL only have got as ,fit as they were^ on the cinder track at the Hutt .Park.; . , RACING DATES ■ " Considerable emphasis was laid by Mr Armstrong on the necessity,vif it iyould progress and) prosper, for, the Wellington club having inviolate Its ; f our separate Saturdays in the year for racing. It had been decided by the. dafces committee . that the club should race qu .mid-week days. ' ' The question of racing !.days,'' he said, '' is worrying the stewards a. lot. The date committee has'asked us. to hold a two-day's meetings We... have tried it before and that is no good to us. We do net lose hope of getting the dates altered by November, before which time we cannot hold our first meeting.- It is too Serious a matter to let go. Qhrisfchurch owners are very sorry to see. the crab lias

to race on a mid-week day. Unless a reason can be given for the change we should not be debarred from our four separate days. We pride ourselves on looking at everything from a national Viewpoint and not in any.-parochial spirit but'there has been no national reason ad- ; vanced why. we should not" have • our dates. '" ;' > ••;"•,- - \ i Mr E. M. Firidlay, as one interested in both trotting and racing, congratulated the club on its fine achievements, and wished it all future success. As a member of the dates committee of New Zealand racing, he saw no reason why the Wellington Trotting ..Club -should-, be i' robbed " of. its four separate Satur* days. . .' ' :'-: : ••-..- .;; ':■ : ■ .QUESTION TIME Ie reply to a question^ the president said that the cinder track would:be-open at any time for t*aek; work. A question wasasked whether "the'club would be prepared to le^ise the park for whippet racing. The j?residjentvg&ve a negative answer. v " ■■":''> • , The question was asked whether women could: nbij become members of the club. The. president said that a notice *of motion would be necessary for that matter to be considered. Widows of deceased' members, were given all the privileges o/f the club. "■'■. -v""' A member wanted .to know whether the trotting meetings would be broadcast... Although not antagonistic to broadcasting the club will follow the decision of the New Zealand Trotting Conference. A resolution was carried expressing the hope that the Gaming Bill would be gone on with in Parliament this session. A resolution was carried, respectfully requesting the Trotting Conference Dates Committee to the club to race on separate Saturdays as heretofore thereby avoiding the deprivation of a large number of the members «f their day's sport. \ c STEWARDS ELECTED;1 The following were 'elected.the stewards of the club:-— \ R. A. Armstrong, J:'E. August, H .L. August, J". Bentley^ M. A. Can1, J. T ; Cryg,; W: H...Edwards, F.-S. He\vrer, A. L. Johnson" J- McDonald, "R. McWhirter, S. A.'Ryder, H. E. Ryder^, J.Sharpe, J. W. Sharpe/