DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB.

Otago Witness, Issue 2730, 11 July 1906, Page 52

DUNEDIN JOCKEY CLUB.

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual ms-etins; of tho Dunedni Jcckey Club was held «hj Monday evening. Tho Hon. Goo. M'Lean (president) occupied the chair, and there were also present — Mcssrt. P. Miller, W. F. Edmond, G. B. Bullock, R. Ewing. J. Hazlett, C. W. Harvey, W. Wood. A. C. Hanlon, Mr H. L. James (secretary), and. about half a dozen others. Apologies for absence were received from. Messrs J. Sinclair Thomson, who was absent, in Sydney, and Mr S. S. Myers, who was in Wellington.

The committee has pleasure in submitting the annual statement of accounts made up to 30th June, aaid duly audited. Member* will be pleaued to know that the season jusfc closed has been the most successful one for the past 15 years, each of the four meetings showing a profit. From the accounts it will be seen that your committee started the year with a debit balance of £436 6s 7d, and now close -with a credit of £409 15s 3d and im addition there is a sum of £142 9s to receive from the Government to credit to winter meeting, thus showing a. profit on the transactions of £)88 10b lOd. The committee for 9. long

time has been very anxious to give greater comfort to the club's increasing patrons, ana. seeing it was likely to have funds in hand, decided to erect a . stand in the outer enclosure, and thus give more shelter and seating accommodation. A contract has now been let and the building commenced, and the stand, will be ready for our next meeting. The club has lost by death during the yeai one of Jts joldest and most useful members in the late Mr W. H. Taggart. In accordance with the rales, the following have been proposed for election: — President, Hon. G-eorge WLea,n; vice-president, Mr Jatoes Hazlett; committee— Messrs G. B. Bullock, W. J. Coughlan, H. O. Campbell, J. Gow, J. Mills, and J. Sinclair Thomaoif; and as there are not more than tire required number, these gentlemen will be elected in due course.

The Chairman said it . was with very great pleaJ>ure he moved the adoption of the report (previously published) and balance sheet. They would see it had been the most successful' season they had had for the past 15 jeara, •which showed racing was growing' in popularity, and that there was every indication of an improvement in years to- come. They would also see that they had started the year with a debit balance of £436 6s 7d. and left off with a. credit, balance of £409 15s 3d, and ;with the additional amount of £142 9s they had to receive from Government, the profit on the" year's transactions would be £985 10s lOd. He thought they would all *gree with him that was very satisfactory, and he also hoped they would agree with him when he said the committee did the right thing in letting a contract for an outside stand in anticipation of an improved state of affairs. When they experienced rainy weather and there was no shelter outside, they all sympathised with those in the outer' enclosure, and reali&fd that the sooner a contract was let the better. The contract was let for a stand, and they hoped to have it ready for next meeting. They had lost by death their old friend in ripe years in the person of Mr W. H. Ta^frart. He had been associated with the club since its beginning, and was cne of its most active supporters. Mr Taggart had been a very useful man. and he was sure the. club would extend its sympathy to those who mourned hie loss. He had a letter from Mr S. Solomon, who had not seen fit to allow himself to be nominated for the position of vice-president thie year, and he would like to read it to the members.

The letter was to the effect that the ■writer would like to sa-v why he had declined to allow himself to be nominated as vice-president of the club, a position he had held for some years. For a considerable time past he had cea=ed to take any active int-erest in racing 1 , and should have retired long «tgo. but had felt that so long as- the club was not prospering it was his duty to stand by it. Fortunately, the necessity for thie no longer existed, and as the calls upon his time now prevented him regularly attending the rs.ee meetings of the club or the meetings of its committee, he had thought it right he should stand aside and make room for someone who might be of greater assistance than he could now hope to be. He wished the club every success in the future.

The Chairman said he was sure Mr Solomon bad been a useful member during the time he had been connected with the club, but lie had felt for some time that he desired to retire from tho committee. fie would, however, still take an active interest as a member in the affairs of the club. Mr Solomon's time had been considerably occupied of late, and he felt he was not doing iustice to the posit'on he occupied. He (the chairman) was sure Mr Solomon would be as active iii the interests of the club as he had ever been. He (the chairman) would like to say a word or two Rbout the tofalisator and the active interest the Council of Churches was taking in getting up a petition against it. He was in a peculiarly good position to refer to the matter, as he was a man that never betted a shilling in the totaJisator. or on his own horses, or any other man's. He eoul4 speak more freely regarding it seeing he had kept e'ear of betting transactions. These people (the Council of Churches) did not realise, in his opinion, what they were doinir. Did they desire, he wondered, to go' bstek to the old system of the bookmaker, whom they saw living in luxury, parading before the .eubHc, with their headauartere at Chrisrchurch ? Did they understand that hv keeping up this agitation they were only Jimitincr clubs getting totalisator termite' Thf total number cf permits that could be granted to racing and trotting clubs for the year was only 156. There were in the colony 83 racing clubs and 16 trotting clubs holdiner totalisator permits — in all 99 clubs — out of a total of 256" clubs holding meetings. So th"y would see there were 157 clubs that could not use the totalisator at all, becau--e they cpuld nob get permit?. Therefore, those were the clubs that kept up bookmaker^ and they would see in the list of our racing clubs that, Auckland had given up licensing bookmakers and kept them off their course. They would see the effect of keeping these bookmakers off the course in Auckland, and what a harvest they made out of racing, when if was borne in mind that by keeping them off the course the totalisator receipts had increased by £48.742. If the bookmakers got all this money into their hands what good would they do with it? The clubs only u=ed the totalisator to increase the stakes, to keep up their courses, and to carry on their racing. They had done away with proprietary clubs. That was all cone, and racing was now being conducted in a straightforward and honest way. People might talk about some things that were open to improvement, but these things occurred under the best conditions, and racing was conducted in New Zealand more honestly than in any country in the world. If tbsse people knew that what they were doing: would have the effect of creating a multitude of -bookmakers, and shutting out the total isa-tor, they would be the last to pursue their present course. They were working in the dark, and did not s^ek for information from those who could give it them. He thought it should be clearly staled that all the permits granted last .year were 128 to racinff clubs *nd 28 to fcrottine: clubs, making 156 -altogether. Why they should talk 'about restricting the use of the totalisator he could not understand. By the act of 1894—12 years ago— the number of totalisator uermits was limited to 156. and it could not go any higher without fresh legislation. "Whr. it would be better- .to take away the limit and allow these other clubs the use of the totalisator. H* believed it would be better. Out of the 83 racing clubs granted permits 22 Jield only a one-day meeting in the ye&r, and _ surely these people would not grudee a district having a meetinjr once a year. There could got t>e much, harm done by

haying the one-day meeting in the year. Then, six of the trotting clubs holding totalisator permits only held one meeting in the year. He had omitted to state that the profit for the year, had they got the money from Government, would have been £2125 lls lOd, and, seeing they had at present a, bank balance of £548 6s 3d, they had plenty of money to pay for the new stand, do some improvements to the* course, and, after paying for these, start the year free of all debt except their debentures. They would be glad to note that last year the totalisator figures had gone up by £6240, and they had increased their stakes by £105, end he thought the committee would take into consideration a further increase next year. He thought they were going ahead- now, and that people would support them. He mentioned that, while on rare day the weather was sometimes wet in town it was fine out at the course, and thought if people would pay no heed to the weather, but go out to Wingatui, they would enjoy themselves better than staying in town. Mr James Hazlett said the chairman had omitted to mention the fact that the Government got its percentage »rom the totalisator, which would go to the bookmaker if the totalisator were abolished.

The Chairman said if the Government did not receive this it would certainly go to the bookmakers. In Continental countries a larg 1 ? part of the revenue came from lotteries. 'Look at Italy! Everyone put their money into a lottery, and no one appeared to be any the worse, and the Government got two and a-quarter millions out of lotteries. No one thought any harm of it. The" people of the colony would gamble no matter who tried to stop them, and they had got to make it as respectable as possible. lie was sure no young man would appropriate money to put it into the totalisator. It was ready cash there. Bookmakers used to go round the offices and lay "dead ones" to the clerks, and got them into trouble. That could not happen with the totalizator. Mr Hazlett seconded the adoption of the report. Everyone must be pleased with the season they had had. He thought the worst time had passed. They were getting on with their stand, and with more accommodation for the public they would have greater patronage. The motion was carried.

The following office-bearers were elected without opposition: — President, Hon. G-eo. M'Lean, M.L.C. ; vice-president, Mr J. Hazlett; committee — Messrs G. B. Bullock, W. J. Coughlan, R. 0. Campbell, J. Gow, J. Mills, and J. .Sinclair Thomson. The Chairman intimated that a letter had been received from Mr John Davie notifying that he would like to be relieved ot the position of auditor. Mr G. M. M"'Lean was appointed auditor at the =ame remuneration as that received by his predecessor, and a vote of thanks to the chairman and the outgoing committee concluded the meeting.