RACING CLUB’S SUCCESS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1929, Page 10

RACING CLUB’S SUCCESS

CLASS OF HORSES IMPROVED. ,FI TU RE PROGRESS ASSUREI). y ‘•The past season has been a very successful one from all points of view and the increased stakes induced more owners to race their horses with a resultant improvement in the class of animal racing',” said the president (Air. S. Pitt) in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet at the annual meeting of the Stratford Racing Club on Wednesday night. Owing to the wet weather the takings on the first day had been lower than those of the corresponding day at the previous meeting, but after everything had been accounted for there was a net profit of £932 Ils lOd on the year’s working. The farm account revealed a profit of £339. The race meeting had been an unqualified success, and the work of the paid officials had been excellent. The honorary officials had done exceptionally good work and he greatly appreciated the efforts of these men who had really put in two days’ hard work instead of participating in the enjoyment of the meeting. lie referred to the good work carried out by the secretary and his staff, who had kept the races up to time as well as being obliging and painstaking in the execution of their duties. The thanks of the club were due to the borough council for the efficient handling of the motor traffic. The traffic problem, said Air. Pitt, was becoming •greater every year owing to an increasingly large number of cars converging at the course over a short period of time. The railway services had been good and the .staff had gone out of its way to oblige horse owners. POPULARITY' OF THE AIEETING. The gate takings amounted to £2154 and were excellent for a two-day meeting, furnishing convincing proof of the popularity of the meeting with the public. The class of horses had been of a high standard, while the track had been favourably commented upon by outside owners and trainers.

Improvements had not been extensive but a commodious publican's booth for tho outside public had been erected. The old marquee system was out of date and in the new building provision had been made for storing the club’s implements that previously had been exposed to tho weather. Additions had been made to the totalisator house.

“The grandstand is in need of attention,” continued Mr. Pitt, “and the club’s architect has prepared plans for the reconstruction of this building.” Tenders' would be called and if these were within the estimated cost of the proposed work it was hoped to have the stand renovated for the next meeting. - The club had followed the policy of carrying out improvements out of revenue, and eventually they would find that the best method. He had been president for nine years, Mr. Pitt said, and in that period a net profit of £13,000 had resulted. In spite of the low admission charges this profit had been made by careful attention to economy in ail matters. The laying down of the track had cost £9OOO, but the expenditure was well warranted as the track was one of tho best in New Zealand. The stewards’ stand had been built at a cost of £4OOO. Those were the two ma.in items of improvements in the past and tho reconstruction of the grandstand would be the next big move. The work that had been carried out was of a sudstantial nature but the overdraft of the club was only £5OO higher than nine years ago. REASONS FOR SUCCESS. “I feel that it must be -a matter of conjecture to members, the racing and the general public how the Stratford club shows such excellent returns as compared with other clubs,” said the vice-president (Mr. H. E. Abraham) in seconding the motion for the adoption of the report. The three chief reasons for this, he thought, were that the first day of the meeting was on New Year’s Day—a public holiday—the central position of Stratford and the good manage- ! ment. j Nevertheless Stratford was not the j only club racing on a holiday. For instance, the first day of the Manawatu meeting fell on Boxing Day, but that club had shown a loss on last year’s working of over £2OO. The Stratford dates clashed with an Auckland and other big meetings. But holiday racing was of tremendous benefit to the club as the central position of Stratford attracted a large number of people who made of the day a holiday. The large attendances enabled the club to increase the stakes, thus attracting a better class of horse —not the very best, perhaps, as these naturally went to the larger city meetings—but those that could be handicapped to give a good race. As far as management was concerned the committee had always been “a happy party,” and although individual committeemen’s opinions differed on occasions the body as a whole generally came to some decision that contributed to the better management of the club. They realised that some of the appointments were out of date, and as the committee’s aim was to cater for the public, money would have to be spent every year on improvements. When the grandstand scheme was completed the public would be provided with more room and a better view. “There is no doubt that the club is well conducted and its future success is assured,” he concluded. BOY SUFFERS BROKEN LEG. During the half-time interlude in the Taranaki B v. Rangitikei match at Tauniata Park, Eltham, yesterday, a boy about nine years old, the son of Mr. D. Kyle, postal supervisor at Eltham, essayed to climb over the small wicket gate leading from the grandstand enclosure to the outer area, but caught his foot and fell, a fracture of the left leg resulting. For the purposes of the match the gate had been fastened. The youthful sufferer received prompt medical attention and was later conveyed to the Hawera Hospital.