DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18612, 21 July 1922, Page 2

DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB

ANNUAL METING. Tli© annual meeting of. the Dunedin Jockey Club was hold in tho club rooms last evening. The president (Mr A. C. Hanlon) occupied the chair, and there was a fair attendance of members. Messrs J. Kelleher, B. S. Irwin, J. Mitchell, J. Samson. G. R. Cheeseman and J. Todd were appointed scrutineers, and at onoe entered on their duty of counting the votes cast for the candidates for the new committee. The Chairman, in moving tho adoption of. the annual report and balance sheet, said that considering the financial depression that had prevailed over tho dominion during the last year or two the result of the year’s operations of the club had been fairly satisfactory. The increased Government taxation had had a serious effect on racing throughout the dominion, and of course upon the operations of their club. The extent of the increase was rather interesting. During the year tho increase of taxation upon stakes had been increased from 1 per cent, to 10 per cent., upon dividends from 2i per cent, to 5 per cent., and, in addition to this, there was tho income tax, and the amusement tax had been increased from Id to 2d on tickets of Is 6d, and from fid to Is on a 10s fid ticket. They would therefore see that the burden of taxation imposed on racing was a very severe one indeed.. Notwithstanding this as he had said, the year’? operations had been fairly satisfactory. Their racing had been interesting. They had had good fields, and on some occasions they had got horses from as far away as the North Island. The handicapping had also been good, and the racing generally quite successful. As they were aware at the February meeting they had added a very handsome gold cup' to the Dunedin Cup stakes. This had been won by Mr Kemball, of the North Island, and had been handed over by Countess Jellicoe, who had been present at the meeting. It had been hoped that the Governorgeneral would also nave been able to, attend the Cup meeting, but he had had to stay in Wellington owing to the second session of Parliament in January and February of this year. Mr Kemball was very proud of tho oup—he had met him in Wellington, and he had told him that it was one of the greatest treasures he had secured in his racing career. Mr Kemball said tjjat he hoped to come to Dunedin next year, and if the club were going to give? another cup he would in all probability take it away with him.—(Laughter.) The speaker referred to the benefit meeting held by the club. Unfortunately thev had struck one of the -worst days for racing ever seem at Wingatui, and there were only a handful of people present. The result was that they bad made little for the benefit ’of the soldiers’ fund, but they had- made a few hundreds for tho Government. The little they had made was practically entirely dueto the services rendered by the ladies in Dunedin, who, notwithstanding the inclement weather, had worked hard ter make their part of: the meeting a success. They were entitled to the very best thanks of tho club.—(“Hear, hear.”) In last year’s report, they had foreshadowed some improvements to the course, but owing to the money stringency it was impossible to proceed with the work. It was hoped that during the ensuing year they would be able to proceed with these improvements, which included the building of a stand for the “outside.” Those who had been at the* , course recently would have noticed the mound on the north of tho existing stands on which the new stand was to be erected. It was gratifying to notice that considerable interest was being taken in the affairs of the club. This was evidenced by the fact that 43 now members had been; enrolled since last meeting, bringing the total membership to 351. Judging by the present accommodation at the course, it was a question that might he considered whether they should admit any more members ini the meantime. Tho .fact that there was an election for membersliip on the committee was also a good sign. It showed that interest was being taken in the affairs of the club. With such interest it wasof course natural to presume that the club would go ahead.—(Applouse.) Mr L. C. Fazlett seconded the motion. He said that racing throughout the dominion had been conducted under very strenuous conditions, and that unless the Government refrained' from imposing the excessive taxation it had placed on during the past 12 months it would find that it would lose the whole of its revenue in this direction. Some of the owners were now just struggling on under the y burden, and some of them had even taken the “knock,” to use a common colloauialism. They should impress on candidates for Parliament at the next election that the racing people could not continue under this excessive taxation, and- fret them to endeavour to relieve the existing burdqns if they were elected to Parliament. —(“Hear, hear.”) Mr B. H. Lough (tho treasurer of the club) said that their profit and loss for (fie year showed a deficit of £IBO9 Ss 7d. They would see that to make up that amount there was,a sum of £926 11s which had; been written off for depreciation. They had also spent a considerable sum in filling in and building up a foundation to make preparations for tho new stands. They would therefore see iJiat the position was not so bad as it looked. Tho year had been a very bad one for the racing clubs throughout New Zealand, and the trea-j surers. of racing dubs tad had 1 a very anxious time. Ho was sorry to'say that many of tho clubs had lost very heavily, but he was glad to be able to tell them that their olub had come through comparatively well. The committee was sorry that it had mot made, the progress .that it would have liked to have made. The stand accommodation on tho course had become absolutely inadequate, and a section of their natrons were suffering inconvenience. He hoped, with the president, that this drawback would be ireraedied by tho next annual meeting. The committee would certainly do its very best to go on with the new stands. As regarded the taxation which had been placed on racing by the Government, every club m New Zealand had complained that it was excessive. They wer© pleased to know that their legislators had admitted that it was excessive, and that they had promised to have it remedied to a certain extent. One anomaly he would like to stress. Although they had lost some £IBOO during the year they had still got to pay' income tax. That was a somewhat absurd position. It was only one of the weird and wonderful results of the Government system of taxation. They would see by the balance • sheet that the dub had made a gross profit of £18,025 2s 7d, yet the Government 1 had taken from them in taxation £19,854, including the dividend tax, hut not including the tax on stakes. The tax on stakes had been raised 900 per cent, during the year. The owners had got to pav this large increase. The total amount of taxation which tho Government bad imposed on the operations of the club last year came to £22,747 8s fid. Now, this was a pretty good sum for a little club like theirs to have to pay. As sportsmen they were pleased to pay their fair share of taxation to enable the Government to try to make ends meet. Everybody had to boar taxation at the present time. They would not complain if they had to pay even a little bit more than their fair share. If, however, the Government continued to take away more than the dub made in a year, there was only one ending—the elimination of racing altogether That meant from the Government's point of view that it was killing th e goose that laid the golden egg.—(Applause.) The motion was then put and carried. • Mr A C. Hanlon was the only candidate nominated for tho position of president, and ho was declared re-elected amidst applause. Mr L. C. Hazlett was the only candidate nominated for the position ol vice-president, and he, too, was re-elected amidst applause. , ... Mr G. M. Maclean was re-elected auditor. There wore five candidates for the four vacancies on tho committee, and the four retiring members were re-elected. The, vot- ?!" wi aa follows W. H. L. Christie 269 voles J A Cook 363, S. S. Myers 262, J. W. Thomson 202 (elected), A. H. Fisher I& Each of the candidates returned thanks. Mr Fisher said that h© thought the system of voting in vogue in the club was an extremely unfair one. No new man had a chance, under the system of voters having to vote for four candidates, of securing a seat on their very exclusive committee. He had received more than half of the total votes recorded, but every man who voted for him had also to vote for three of the other candidates, and these other candidates then had the assistance of those who desired to vote for them. He had, in fact, to carry three other candidates with him. He hoped that they would endeavour to alter the system of voting. The only chance of success appeared to bo to put four new candidates as a block ticket against any four retiring committeemen. The Chairman explained that the system of voting adopted had not been fixed by the comfnittee, s 6 that the committee had no chance of making itself exclusive. There had been a time when “plumping]’ took place, and members secured election on a minority of votes, and a change had been made by the members themselves, and the rule preventing “plumping” passed. Continuing the Chairman said that ho quite approved of the suggestion made by Mr

J. A. Sligo in regard to beautifying their grounds' with flowers, and, the committee would endeavour from .time to time to so improve and beautify the course. So far as the members’ stand was concerned, it was really intended to put up a smokers' stand, Their number comprised something like ISO, and that was not sufficient to fill the stani). It .then had been decided to give each member one lady’s ticket, and later on two ladies’ tickets, and with the increased membership and the issiy of these ladies’ tickets the accommodation had become insufficient. The solution ns regards this stand lay with the themselves. They oould pass a resolution reserving it for men onlylor they could reduce the issue qf ladies’ tickets to one. On the. motion of Mr Goughian a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the secretary (Mr H. L. James), "the assistant secretary (Mr Ray Caffin).' and ■ the caretaker at the course (Mr' J. Crawford). Mr James briefly returned thanks on behalf of the Votes of thanks were also accorded to Mr Hanlon and Mr Hazlett for their services to the club. Both office-bearers briefly returned thank*.