WELLINGTON NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 17 August 1893, Page 30

WELLINGTON NOTES.

By Onlookeb.

August 15. ' ' A special meeting of the .stewards of the Wellington Racing Club was held on Wednesday morning (Mr J. Maginnity in the chair) for the purpose of-allowing Mr R. Smith to advocate the claims of the Pahiatua Jockey Club, whose programme for two years has failed to pass tho authorities. Tho objection held by the metropolitan club has been that Pahiatua was within 10 miles of Woodville. where recognised meetings were held, whilst the Racing Conference had decided against passing programmes for any meetings held within a 10-mile radius of the headquarters of an existing club. Mr Smith was introduced to the stewards, and, addressing them, said tha Pahiatua Jockey Club was a bona, fide county clUb, and had bsen formed over two years ago. The;members had expended some £400 in the formation of a racecourse, and in addition had paid two years' subscriptions, but so far had not yet hid a day's sport for their money. So far as the Wellington racing district was concerned, the nearest racecourse to Pahiatua, at present, was' about 40 miles distant, at Opaki. The Woodville Club held its meetings in the Hawke's Bay district, and came under Ithe jurisdiction of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. Barely had Mr Smith had time to warm a chair in the waiting room whilst the "powers" held a confab, when he"' was called in to hear the verdict. Mr Maginnity announced that the committee had given every consideration to Mr Smith's address, they were convinced he spoke truly, that his club was lionafidc> had decided to pass the programme, and wished tbeP.J.C. everysuccess. "Theaction of the metropolitan club in. the past," said the Chairman, " in refusing to pass thePahiatua Club's programme was solely with the desire to prevent the formation of ' mushroom ' clubs, and so unnecessarily increasing the use of the totalisator, but they- were now convinced that the P.J.C. was a 6ona./Weclub." _ „, „, , At a meeting of the Wairarapa Trotting Club stewards last Saturday, the horse Duck or Tinker was disqualified for life.