SOUTH ISLAND TROTTING ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 35

SOUTH ISLAND TROTTING ASSOCIATION.

(By M. Qu.\i>),

A special geneial meeting of delegates of the Sonih Island Trotting Association was held on Friday evening for the puipuse of receiving the annual repoit and balance sheet. Uhere were preient : Messrs P. Salig (.G'eymontli), in the (hair, Myers and Walker (T'rihuua P-»rlO, C Ho well aucl F. Mulholland (Plumpton Paik). H. Ola.k'--onan.lll. Ddrrett(Cd'<tersni)y), V. Han is (Lancaster E'ark), J. Chad, vide (NeLon), J". 1 uke (Tim?.iu), and 11. Styche (Wcstjort). The Pic-ident's ri-poitv. as read os follows:— Gdntlemcii,— In reviewing the past aeaaou's operation", I think my first duly is to cor.jjratul.iti; you on the &atisfac'.o-y financial position of the ufesociation as disclosed by the balance sheer, on which the honorary tieauncr will, no doubt, oflVr some raniaiks. My obfeivations will be mainly devoted to the administrative woilc of the past year. Moir.hly mettings of the association have been regulaily held, and a considerable amount of business transacted, somo of our earlier sittings, as you know, having been of a protr-acttd nature. The.c have been necessitated principally by appeals to the association against decisions of clubs!, and, in my oiiinion, the delegates de&eive <he thanks of the clubs for the thoroughness they havo displ.iytd iv dealing with such mattcis. Ib will le renipmbfied that one of our afTili >1c t olnks d;sagreed with a luling of the associiition, upsetting a decision of the stew. rds. We arc ell c=, title Ito our opinions, and it i& hardly to be o>.p clcd that a bo !y of jneii will agieeon evciy p. ant l.sised ; at the same time I have no doubt it will be seneiv.llv adtniLted that our prcceeuinss mu&tbc so veined by the ordinaiy rules of delm'.c aud proc.dure, and that we must abide by the decision of the majority. It theiefoie teemed unfoitunate that the club alluded to bhould lnve thuiight fit to cany their opposition to the ruling of tbii asc-ocia-tion outside its councils, by feeki g the intervention of the Hon. the Culoii'al Secretary in the matter. The Cabinet Minister, who has charge of the dNtiibution of the totalizator licenpps, as could oiily be expecttil, loyally siU'Portetl the association, rfccoßuiiin™ it.-i decision as that of the governing body. He went fuilhar. He icfc *ed the club a totalisstor permit nnlil crtaiu demmds, that he coiibidered should be at once coi'iijlied with, were Fiiti-iiyd. On thf ii'prijssntiition of myself that the club had omplied with the ruling of your association, the (J.ilonial Sl:cietary lclcnt&d at the "eleventh hour," ai d on the eve of the club's m 'tti.'g granted the necessary permit for the no of the t'tUi'fitu 1 . it mu3b be grati'yiutf to you, gentlemen, that the authtirity aiul decision of the > u oulh Ir-la'id Trotting AsFocUtiun in \\i\ vavliculir ca-c were so thoroughly v indicted by the Colonial iSccicUny, with wh^r o,'ioion, a-, ftjted at the iec« : iifc onf^p'nre in Wcllmg'i/)<, I thoioughly agree — " that if a little culii'UCo^ai d coolness Lad been exhibiteJ, the diffcreroo would not have re»chcl the st'iere it did." How-jer much we may i egret the difference and the fueling t^a l " was displayed, we have lra^on, I think, to hope that it will uot have been without It j instinctive and beneficial i cults. The annual Confeicine of trottinst club ddcjralcs vas held in Wellington on July ]1 biiu 15 'Jhe piincipal bu-iness consisted of piopo-ala to alter the constitiftion of the assoLulion", and the allocation of the totalisalor permits. The &ugf<es,led rmendmcnls to the constitution rules. tiin-,s deal.nc

with tli3 election of irpres-entatives> of the asfocia" tion, did not meet with gener»l approval, only the four clubs that had movad in the direction supporting them. I am peisoually of opiuion that the working of the as-ociations coul.l be improved in the direction indicated by the pioposals of the Greymouth Club, or, with amendment, those of the three Chri&tchurch clubs that joined together at the conference in an effort lo have an alteration made ; and possibly the south might see its way clear, by the time the next conference comes round, to cast a unanimous vote on the subj.ct. Tho north, I understaud, now that they ate aware the constitution of the association can be altered, may submit proposals to the south prior to next cenference for consideration. An exchange of ideas should always be welcome. As a result of amendments to the lulea at the conference, in future r»uns&l v.-i 1 not be allowed to appear at the meetings of the association, and all n.w evidence heard ia appeal cases will have to be referred kick to the clubs concerned— both steps, hiving past cxpsiience to go by, you will doubtless agree in the right direction. It has also been laid down in the rules that appeals cannot be made on questions of fact. The Colonial Secretary, after tho business on the order paier was dispos 'd of, attended the confeience and delivered a leag'hy address, from which I th'nk it was easily understood that the Cabinet Minister was well posted in the trotting brai eh of sport and its conduct. Yon will hardly expect me to traverse his speech, with which you aie doubtless faiuilhr. I may, however, say that his suggestions &S to the pl'.ccation of totalizator permits assisted the conference very matctially in coming to a. decision, this beirg ba«ed on the lines laid do .in by the distributor of licenses, and including an extra one to the New Brighton Trotting Club, which was the only difference mixds in lasi; year's list for the soulh. With rfgirJ. to the position of trotting, ib i.-s Sflf tvidenr, I thiulr, that in the south it is growing as one of the attractions to the sport-loving public, and, undor proper _f,wporvi^ion and cootrol, v should continue to ii.se in the e^tiruation of its p.lrcis. In Ibis connection I may say, as giving some slight indication of those engaged in the spoil, that close on 900 licenses to trair, ride, and drive havo been i.-<ue.l duiir.g the past, year by your asocial ion. The impoitalion and breeding cf firat-class fctock has doubtless a'sisfced most materially in the success attained, aud it is appropr ; ate here lo allude to the \i-it f r -in Austialia of Mr Bucklaud'ti champion and other hordes. Ihe visits of such as I'ritz cannot help but result ia benefit to the spr»t,and tho-»e clnbs that induce foieign comi etiJion of this rl.\-s aio'entitled to the thanks of all lovers of t-ott.ii g. On the resolution of the association it wan decided to rent oflire?, pnd these have been found very convenient for our meetingrs and the tiausacUon of the business generally. In conclusion, seutlemen, 1 have to thank you for the sunwort youhave accorded the chair during my temi of office as piesidcnfc, ai.d for jouv assistance generally. I am sure that when the next annual meeting of the association is held, my eucccseov will have found you have continued that loyal support that is ncc-ssary for the cnccesoful canying on of a controlling board such as tho South Island Trottiug Arsociatioa.— P. Selig, Presidsnt. The balance sheet showed a credit balance in the bank of £114 4s Id. Ihe receipts were stated to have been £263 od, and the expenditure £210 13-i 2-i

The President moved the adoption of the repot t, and the motion was seconded by Mr Howcli.

Mr Claik-oa asked for some particulars rogardiug items in tho balance f-h^et, which were explained by the treisnrer (Mr Myeis). The report and balance sheet were adopted unanimou ly, and it was decided that the)' should be printed aud circulated amongst affiliated clubs.