DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16752, 21 July 1916, Page 2

DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of members of tho Dunedin Jocke\ Club was held last evening* Hie Geoiije M'Lean presided ovor a smalt ntfend.niLO. In inouii',' the adoption of the report and bdliiKv thec t, tho Chairman said they could not help wishing that the result <jf the jeai's lacing had shown i laig.'i prolit, as all their piolits. now went to amehoiatc the condition of those men v\ho had fought to well and -o nobly to retain for us tho hvedom and privileges we had so long enjoyed, lie telt sine he was sppaknisr for eveiv membm of tin 1 committee; when lie said that ho thought thej should lu'stitate to their stakes or to make impio-unients, winch were now in a good posit , un to do, when all tho profits were being ghen for the benefit of the soldiri.s. They had done fairly well since the war began, Baying to tho Government in taxation £12,292 19s _4d, and to the patriotic funds £2203 3s, making a total of £14.496 2s 4d. lie honed they would pardon him when he spoke ot matters icferring to himself. He had been a membet- of the chib for 55 -vear" —three ns a member of committee, one as ■> ice-president, and 31 \eais continuously as pi evident II ■• %\.'s now 82 vcais ot age, and, though h'j was very w n ll at prteei.t. life at his gieat a o r e w.is "veiy unccrta-n. He lnd {ri\cn up mast important mnttei\i in order to enjoy givater ease and avoid wony and, jiei haps, therefore prolong his life a little, as ho flattered himself that amonjr-t those with Avhom he had been associated, both in busi tics and soort. there wa= not many wno would like to see him gone Ho thoi'glit he could safely include .nembeis of the club amongst th(«e. lie honed the> would not think him nnieasonablc (it he lp ed so long) to ask them to iehe\o him of his duties .is pies.dcnt at the ni \t annual meeting He would like to refei to a lew matters which had <ropped up since he became, picsiclcnt Fir--tlj. ho wanted to «,iv how deeply he appieciated the kindly feeling shown to him b\ all the different committees smv-e ho became president. r l heic had been no quarre'--, and evei\ thing had been diS>cu«'ed in a ploa.sant manner. Dunng hi.s adininistra tion if matters aro-e 1b .t liad to be settli'd .it one l and had not been placed before the committee, ho got the ■•ccietaiv to communicate with all ihi , nu'inbei". of the committee available, and obtain their hi'ietion and to this he gmatlv ,'ttubiited the smooth wcnking and amicable relations tlutr had alwavs existed amom,- member- He desired" to refer to the club's remo\al from Foibu/v | to Wingatui, as he knew there wete c till <i i few bu-inos-, people wlio harhoiued a, grieiaiKO against them foi tho elianqe, ainl lie' was anxious to lemove tliis. The arrangement with the Forbuiv Company was be-I fote his time, but ho thought it could never bo canied out. although during tho boom tho club had aceumlated over £8000 of a sin phis. The boom burst and the club besran to go downhill. It was costing th»m £1220 a \cmi- and the course was a vciv expensive one to keep tin This made -fffll 1 ,;,' I-.". fi-

the committee seriou°ly consider its position, and, after gra\e consideiation, it deputed him, to enter into negotiations with the chairman of the Forbuiy Park Company. Ho was, authored to oifer him £8000 and debentuies to the \n.lue of £12,000 He spent hours interviewing him, but lailed in hi*, mission. Two \ears later when their H>-oincos had dwindled down to £6000 he Wat. asked to »ee what he coi'ld do. Tins time he was to offer £6000 and debentuic,-- to the value of £12,000; but again he failed Other , members 'who weie friendly with the chauman tried their influence but without success. As a last hope they deputed Wtophcnson and Gourley. "peifconal fiiends of the chairman, to see' what they could do. They wire un.sufcci-.fnl, and"as it had become a question of life or death —their funds having dwindled down to about sufficient to pinciae the new ground, lev* ing them to tttid money to make the course and necessary builclmgs and improvements, they decided, unanimously, to move to Wingatui. He claimed that the move was justified by tho gic.it success they had met with, thpre never having been a, loss on any meeting at the new course. The racing- was well conducted, and .is clean as could bo not in any part of the world, and he did noithink a pleasanter place could bo found for spending a day in tho country, seeing the racing, and meeting friends. During his term of office. 23 membeis. of the committee had gone to their long home, and there were now only four members on the committee who shared the woiries of the mo\c to Wingatui—Messrs Miller. Myers, Coughlan, and himself. This year he decided that the time had come for him to retire, and he intimated his decision to the committee, which sent him a, unanimously signed rcqucbt to retain his position as president, saying it would iclieve him in e-uiv way in its power if he would lemain. lie gi eatly appieciated its consideration, and so consented to be once more noun nated. He would avail himself of thcgeneiou' offer as much as possible Mr Peter Miller, in teconding the motion, praised the decision of the club to race at Wingatui. where it now had as fiinn course as could bo found anywhere in Nev. Zealand lie regretted the paucity ot t'ie attendance at the mectins, but considered that ibis could be taken as i'n indication that membcis were satisfied with tho conduct of iiffahs Mr Gore al=o rcfenod to the change frrm Foibnry to Wingatui. sajing it ivas croof the finest moves tho club had ever made. Ihe motion was can ied The following officers wore then (Iceland I ro-olortrd —President, Sir Gcoi ge M'Lnau, I vice pre'ident. Mr P. Miller: committee— I Mcs'is W. II L Christie. W. J. Goie. S. 1 S Myeis. and J. W. Thomson; aiuliicn, I Mr ("!. M. Mα Lean.