CONDUCT OF TROTTING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18632, 13 February 1924, Page 12

CONDUCT OF TROTTING

CORRIGAN'S PENALTY. UPHELD BY THE BOARD. AN ASSOCIATION REBUKED. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. The disqualification recently imposed by the Manawatu Trotting Club on A. J. Corrigan, the driver of Oakhampton, "or alleged interference with Lady Zoe was discussed at to-day's meeting of the Board of the New Zealand Trotting Association. The president, Mr. P. Selig. said he did not intend to bring the case up but Mr. J. R. Corrigan, M.P. (owner of Oakhampton), had sent him a personal letter and had also put in an* appeal. Mr. Corrigan was at present v iu Christchurch and had put in a request that he might , interview the board. He had informed Mr. Corrigan that his only plan was to Address a letter to the board and the matter could be decided early in the meeting. The president said he proposed to read the letters received from Mr. Corrigan and also the communications regarding the matter fro mthe Manawatu Club. Mr. Corrigan had made & statement to the speaker the previous day Chat since his arrival in this city he (Corrigan), had been accused of backing Eulius for £300 when Eulius won at Gisborne recently. Mr. Corrigan stated he did not back Eulius on that occasion and he thought tho matter should be cleared up by the association. The other matter he referred to was that some doubts had been cast, on the bona-fides of King Lear,' a horse he had given away. Ho also asked that this matter be cleared up. Mr. Selig added that he told Mr. Corrigan the association was not dealing with matters of this kind and thaC a lot of people would have to answer questions later on. The president expressed (lie opinion Chat the Manawatu Club's decision was made on the question of fact. He had no doubt there was no appeal. Mr. W. H. Denton: But we are not dealing with Corrigan, sen. It is his son who was suspended. The President: f Mr. Corrigan, sen., has some standing in the matter though. Question of Procedure. The report of th» "inquiry held by the Manawatu Trotting Club on January 17 regarding the driving of Oakhampton by A J. Corrigan was read. The decision was that A. J. Corrigan be suspended for 12 nfonths. Both A. J. Corn gar' and J. R. Corrigan (owner of Oakhampton), had lodged notices of appeals and tho report of the evidence aC the inquiry wu.s heard. The committee had considered there was no righC of appal in the cas?. According to the evidence on which the decision was made the driver of Oakhampton interfered with Lady Zoe, who was driven by H. J. .Woodfield during the race. The committee unanimously disqualified Oakhampton from the race and suspended A. J. Corrigan for twelve months. The president then read the letter he had received from Mr. J. R. Corrigan asking to be heard by the board. Mr. Selig again expressed the opinion that there was no appeal. Mr. Denton: Is that vuse? We're wasting time now. The President: I hardly think so. Mr. Corrigan says the procedure at the inquiry was wrong and we have to be satisfied that the procedure was right. Personally I think the rules of the club were complied with. Mr. Corrigan, sen., however, says he has not been given a chance of being heard, but his son could have called.-him if he had wished to do so.

A Unanimous Decision. Mr. 3. A. Armstrong: Mr. Corrigan, sen., was there all the time walking around. Ho came to the door while the inquiry was being held and spoke to Mr. A. G. Mabee, stipendiary steward. Mr. R. W. Short moved that the action of the'Man»"watu Trotting Club in suspending A. J. Corrigan for twelve months be endorsed, and that J. R. Corrigan be not heard by the board. The motion was carried unanimously. With reference to the other matters mentioned by Mr. J. R. Corrigan, the board decided that it could not do anything on Mr. Corrigan's behalf at present. Later in the meeting the president said a letter had been received from Mr. C. F. Giesen, secretary of the North Island Trotting Owners and Breeders' Association, which was the kind of letter that should 'not have been addressed to the board. It was tantamount to trying to influence a jury on behalf of an accused person. The letter having been read, the following resolution was carried. "That this board emphatically condemns the action of the North Island Trotting Owners and Breeders' Association in attempting to influence the board's decision in regard to the section taken by the Manawat'u Trotting Club in the Oakhampton case, and warns the North Island Trotting Owners and Breeders' Association that any repetition of this unwarranted attempt to interfere with the course of justice will be made the subject of vigorous action by the board." THE CASE OF AUDEX. INCONSISTENT RUNNING. AUCKLAND CLUB'S DECISION [by telegraph.— correspondent.] CHBISTCHURCH, Tuesday. At a meeting of the board of the New Zealand Trotting Association to-day, tho chairman, Mr. P. Selig, stated that at a previous meeting, the board had on-: doused the decision of the Auckland Trotting Club in disqualifying the horse Audex for inconsistent running without imposing any further penalty on those connected with the horse. Subsequently the board had asked the club to obtain statutory declarations of the evidence taken and these had come to hand.

The club's judicial committee had found that the horse's running was unsatisfactory and inconsistent and this surely implied some moral blame. It was strange if the horse should be held solely responsible and if no one was held to blame the action taken in depriving the owner of the stake won was rather harsh. The club had acted under rule 314, but he did not think that rule was intended to meet such a case. He considered the rule should be altered at the next meeting of the conference.

The board decided that the matter should be noted in the suggestion book for consideration when alterations to rules were being discussed. OWNERSHIP OF KEAN JOHN. NO ACTION TAKEN. [by telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. At a meeting of the board of the New Zealand Trotting Association to-day an inquiry "was held regarding the horse Kean John. -I After taking evidence the chairman, Mr. P. Selig, said there was not much in the case oil the evidence before them. There was a suspicion that the horse did not belong to the present proprietor,/ but that was not borne out by the evidence. At first there had bten a rumour that W. J. Tomkinson had sold the , horse, not for 300 guineas but for 600 guineas, to Morgan O'Brien, and ,it certainly looked suspicious when the horse was sold a few weeks later for 100 guineas. The board decided not to take any further action, in the matter.