NORTH OTAGO JOCKEY CLUB.

North Otago Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1160, 25 December 1875, Page 2

NORTH OTAGO JOCKEY CLUB.

A. special meeting of this Club took place at the Empire Hotel, on Wednesday evening. Present — Messrs A. Mowat (President), W. H. Konayne (Yice-President), A. Peyman, W. Maefarlane, J Wheatley, R. M'Auly, J. Booth, and T. Hay-Mackenzie (Secretary). The minutes of last meeting were not read, as it waa held that the present was a special meeting. A long, and somewhat warm, discussion then ensued as to the last meeting, lome members arguing that it was not duly constituted, on the ground that the Secretary had called it on the requisition of three members of Committee, whereas, according to the rules, it was distinctly laid down that a special meeting of Committee can not be called, except on the requisition of five member of Committee. It was then pointed, out that according to Rule 35 of the Club, the Committee acted ultra vires in opening up, at the last meeting, the question of the disqualificatiou of the horse Exile. Rule 15 was then read. It is as follows : — " Decisions arrived at, and carried by a majority of the Committeo, at any regularly called meeting, shall stand, and no notices of motion shall be received by the Chairman, tending to open up any question (hat has been already decided during the current year of office of the Committee." The President said he would put it to the meeting to decide whether the last was a regularly constituted meeting or not. Messrs Booth and Macfarlane here loft the room, and Mr James Bee entered and took his seat. The proceedings were explained to him, and Mr Bee, as Chairman of the lust meeting, explained to all present the part he took as Chairman in the business. Before taking the chair he asked those present if they objected to the business proceeding, and asked them to affirm whether or not the meeting was legal. No member of Committee entered a protest against the business proceeding, and he therefore took the chair. Tho minutes were confirmed, and the business proceeded. He must confess that he was very much surprised that any member who attended and voted at the last meeting should now come to the present one, and declare the proceeding at the last meeting null and void. After further discussion tho Secretary pointed out that the present meeting was illegal according to the rules, as he did not send a circular to Mr T. P. Wilson (who is nt present in Dunedin) asking him to attend. His reason for so-doing was that he did not think it necessary, as there was not much probability of Mr Wilson attending the meetinp. Of course, at that time he was not aware that, in neglecting to send Mr Wilson a circular, he was rendering the present meeting illegal. The President suid he was of opinion that neither this nor the last meeting wore illegal, through Mr Wilson not receiving an invitation to attend. At last it was agreed, on the suggestion of tho President, that Messrs Bee, Booth, Mowat, and Ronayne should state the facts of the whole affair to the Committee of the Dunedin Jockey Club, and ask their opinion as to whether the last meeting was legal or not. Tho matter then dropped. A letter was read from Fred. W. Difjby, Secretary to tho Christchurch Jockey Club, enclosing a resolution passed at a meeting of that Club to tho effect that an endeavor should be made to arrange that the different race meetings in the Colony should not clash. It was suggested that the Oamaru ra»e should be held on the 25th and 26th February, and Mr Digby said he would be glad to know whether the Committee would approve of those dates. Some discussion took place on this letter. It was agreed that the dates suggested by Mr Digby were unsuitable, owing to that being about the middle of harvest. It was pointed out that as the Timaru races are fixed to come off on the 18th. and 19th February,, and the Dunedin race meeting on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th March, it would be advisable to fix the Oamaru races to come off in the first week in March so that the horses running at Titnaru could call at Oamaru on their way down to the Dunedin meeting. A reply to that effect was instructed to be sent to Mr Digby, and the meeting terminated.