DUNEDIN JOCKEY CULB.

Otago Witness, Issue 2626, 13 July 1904, Page 56

DUNEDIN JOCKEY CULB.

The annual mooting of the Dunoclin •lockoy Ciub was hold on Monday, Mr S. .Solomon (\ir(>-president) being in tho chair, and there b<Mng aKo present Mp-=r<s J. Sinclair Thomson, G. B. Bullock. W. J. Conghl.in, J. Da\ie, J. Mill-, J. .loffs, and P. Miller. Apologies were rs_cci\cd for the absence of tliu Hon. (jJeursro M'L-oan, Me- sis Hazlett, Hanlon, and Myeis. ■ ' The committee has gieat pleasure m subnnttma; to members the annual statement of recounts, made up to oOth June, and duly , audited. I Your committee commenced the year with a debit balance of £110 7s Bd, and dumng the season has spent XI6G 9s 6d on permanent improvements to the grounds. ai;d it closes the jear with a debit balance of £103 19s 4d, thus showing a clear profit on the racing transactions of £472 17& lOd. This should be considered very satisfactory by members. The spring, autumn, and winter meetings show a piofit of £1340 7s 2d, while thp Fumnier meeting shows a loss ot ±63 17s Bd. During the season just, closed £4-2,025 was invested on. the ' totahsators, as against £35,0% last year, bo.ng an mciease of £3920. " Your committee has deckled to go on improving the course and grounds, and has accepted a tender for the election of up-to-date tea rooms, coating £516 12s, which will be completed m time for our spiing meeting in October. Tlirs will be a great acquisition, ' and meet a want that has Jong been felt. 1 " The pieiir'enl and vice-president as usual letire; a.so Mes=is G. B. -Ballock, W. J. Coughlan, A. C. Han'.on, J. Miiis, J. Sinclair Thomson, and J. Gow. A.l have been propoted for ie-election, and as there aie not mere than the requued num':ei, these gentlemen will ! be declared re-elected 111 due co'use. Tho Chairman, in moving the adoption of the lepori, and balance sheet, said the former showed what had taken, place la^t year. Members :>f the club might well congratulate themselves upon the result vi the year's proceedings. It would bo noticed that they started the working account, £4-10 7s 8d in debt, and during the season they had spent £166 9s 6d on permanent improvements to the ground. They closed the year with a working account in debit £103 19s 4-d, which showed a clear profit on the racing of £4-27 17s lOd, which members should consider very satisfactory. La=t year the profh on J the- proceedings was £213 9s 9d, which showed they had gained a good deal this year. They had now been racing at I Wingatui for five years. It was at the ' end of the year of the racing season of 1899 that they commenced racing there. ' their last meeting at Forbury being the March meeting of 1899, which would be remembered as one of the most prosperous meetings they had had at Forbury. That was I the Jubilee Cup meeting. He thought it i would not be at all out of place, .seeing they had been racing at Wingatui for five years to show Low affairs there compared with , those at Forbury. A casual look at the

respective balance sheets was most instructive. If they looked at the last balance sheet for Forbury. dated 11th July, 1898, it would be found that in that year the gross takings at the four meetings amounted to £9763, and, atter making provision f r salaries and neceavary expenditure in tho way of rental, interest, and so on, the result was a profit of £5 6s 4-d, and in that year was one of the most profitable meetings they had had. If they comparcil that year with the present year of 1904- at Wingatui ! it would be iound that in place of the gross , takings of £9763 il was £8099, a decrease of £1700 ; and yet, though they hael taken £1700 leas than at the Forbury in 1898, the profits, instead of being £5 6s fd, were £4-72 17s lOd. It would, there foie, be seen how ! much more advantageous their position at Wingatui was than at Forbury. It could be seen that if matters had gone on at Forbury it would have been absolutely impossible for tho club to carry on. There was another calculation he had rnacle ' equally instructive. When they started ot , Wingatui in 1899 their working account, 1 after making provision for the buildings, 1 was practically square — that was to say, they were in debit some two or three pounds. In the five years that had elapse-d they had paid on outstanding liabilities £846, and had expended on improvements to the course at Wingatui £1700, making a I total expenditure of £254-6. As against that I their working account was in debit £103, so they had made a net profit of £24-43, which ! was extremely sati.-factorv r . Of course it had to be considered that they must not look on a racecourse purely as a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence. It would not be satisfactory if they were making money at tho expense of racehorse owners. If they did not provide them with a racing and training ground that was satisfactory they could not congratulate themselves upon having made money. When they considered that hoi'su? that had been trained there had, in addition to many racys won in other parts of the colony, during the five years captured the New Zealand Cup once and had run a dead heat for it on another occasion, had won two Stewards' Handicaps. two Great Easter Handicaps, the Winter Cup, the Exhibition Cup, ami the Canlerbmy Oaks, they cotild fairly say ihat Wingatui, in addition to being a profitable place, afforded an excellent ground for training horses. Members of the exeoiuhe were extremely gratified at the way affairs had tinned out. and were sati-jfiod that the prosperity would continue and increatf. They had, after considerable thought, added to their expenditure £508 or £bOO for tea room*. They had not t3ic money for these tea rooms now, but they hoprJ at the end of the year to be able to p-.}-them oft". They had not at the prc-ent time fplt justified in increasing the accommodation for .stewards but hoped to hr able to do ?o later on. They could not : help noticing that the place, in addition : to be.ng more comfortable, was becoming j more atliactive, and that was due to two , of the slowaids — Meat's Sinclair Thomson ' and Bullock,— who had de\otod eveiy attenI tion to that pirt of the club'a woik. He hoped they would continue in their work-, and hoped they would allow him to suggest that in thpir efforts to beautify the place they shou'd plant largo trees about the roti>'-e, v, lnch. ir> u'Mit'on to Mi^i'Oving iho '. <r,o" •<. >, \ (.1 111 1 ' (v c j-.s a s't'Htr. It , uoulcl nor be right for him to close without ' exrrpps.ng- regret at the Hon. Oeorgo ■ .M'Lean not being present, but though ' absent he was attending to the affairs of the club. He was at the Racing Conference in Wellington, which he thought lie ought to attend in the interests of Iho club. He \\fs sure they all felt sorry at the loss the llou. Gciorge M'Lean bad

huffoicd in the death of his hor^c Pampero. It was not a question of tho value of the animal, but a horse that had been so suc-co-jsful as I'a.mpcio had must have become a favourite, and Ins death must be a great loss. They were about to lo»» their treasurer, who v\as leaving ZS'ew Zealand to re c ide in Kngkm l . His resignation would reach them in clue cour»o. As far as he (Mr Solomon) was concerned, he had been their vice-president since they had b"en racing at Wingatui, and he vvas exceedingly indebted to them for again electing him.

Mr James Mills seconded the motion for the adoption of the report mid balance sheet, and said it mast bo gratifying to members to hear from the chairman such a saiisfoctory «tate s ment of the affairs of the club. T>~ fact that they had a profit of something like £2500— a surplus revenue ever expenditure — as regarded racing at Wingatui should be ample justification for the action of the committee in acquiring a, lacpcourae in that locality. Their action in doing- so had come in for a good cl«*l of criticism from the public, and was still criticised, but as years rolled on he felfc confident thcJr patrons Mould approve of tho course they took in starting the> Wirgatui rarecourc-e. The locality was everything that could be d*-ired. The climate there \\a« much pleasantor than at Foibury. and a \;sit to the couise afforded a \ery attractive out wig as well as interesting racing. With thu improvements that had been made, were being made, and would be made no other course would be more attractive. The tea rooms would be a «o\irce of income to them. In the near future he- thought they might look forward to a direct railway line to the course, which would then be within 15 minvitt.s of Dunedin by rail, and would be a.s convenient as Forbury wa-> by cab. They only wanteJ a. litt'c favour from the clerk of the weather and their success was assured. He also thanked them for his election.

Mr P. Miller would like to say how very pleased he was to hear the figures that had been given by the chairman, as they pioved conclusively that the club had donea wise thing in leaving Forbury and striking out for a racecourse of their own. He had get his fair share of the odium for what, people had said was the biggest blunder ever made. Those people had, however, only to look at the chairman's figures to see it was impossible for tho club to have continued racing at Forbury. When it wn eonsicWrd that it cobt from £1300 to £1400 a year for outgoings it would piovp conclusively that it was not possible for them to remain at Forbury. Mr Mills had struck an important point when he had mentioned the double line oF rails to Mosgiel, and that must come shortly. There were a number of thingi he was sure the club would like to do, but they were in the position of the man wiio had net too much mmey and hal to cut his coat accoiding to his cloth. One thing that was wanted waa n stand for tho outride public, and that, he wai *urr, would bo _ taken in hand as sorn a3 fund? were available. In referring to the Hon. Goorge M'Lean, Mr Miller $*\id to his mind t lie re was no one who had clcme so muoh for racing in Otago as that gentlen:r.n. He thought the club was due him a, deep debt of gratitude- -for the stand h& had taken over many matters, and he trusted the time was not far distant when .'onio further notice would be taken of the subject. Mr Miller alfo pointed out ki a iua'their reference to "Wingatui thai it was pieferable to Forbury because people could get- out there for Is or Is bel return fa.io s«nd have a comfortable seat in a railway cairiage all the way.

The motion was then canied

The Chairman mentioned thai the following gentleman, who retired by rotation, had K-en re-olceted officers of the club: — Tho Hen. George M'Lean, president : -Mr S. Solomon, vioe-presid-ent ; and XTe^rs G. B. Bullock, W. J. Oon&hlan, A. C Ha-nlon. J. Mills, J. Sinclair Thomson, and J. Gow, committee.

Mr John Davie w-as j-e-eleetecl auditor, and a vote of thanks to the chair closed the rreerin^-.