SPORTING.

Timaru Herald, Issue 170269, 14 July 1920, Page 5

SPORTING.

N.Z. TROTTING ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPENS

(Per Press Association.J

" WELLINGTON, July 13. The. annual woiirerence of tiie New Zealand Trotting Association opened co-aay.

The President, Mr John Rowe (Auckland), in las address said the" season now drawing to a close had been notable for the increased interest m the sport of trotting, which had been very marked. Even many former opponents, sometimes called ! "wowsers," ■ were now frequently seen ' on racecourses. During the season I there had been 47 meetings, 0 n 69 days, with 539 races, and the stales [ totalled £100,715 (not- includino- the i Jellieoe meeting at Christciuirch, ' when the stakes were £2160). In six years the stake money had been more than doubeld. There were 39 trotting clubs in the Dominion, 24 being in the South Island; 17 clubs were licensed to hold not more than one totalisator meeting in the year, >and 14 had no totalisator facilities whatever. There was convincing proof of the necessity tor an increase in the number of totalisator licenses for trotting, -in the fact that the Hawkes Bay Grub hhas no totalisator permit in » district in which the breeding of light harness horses is largely carried on. and money spent in importing high-class stock. 'JJie same remark applied to several other districts. A sad defect in the sport of to-day was the fact that the 'taster a "horse goes the less value he has as a racing proposition. Mr Howe suggested that the wealthier clubs should make some experiments to remedy this. He.spoKe appreciatively of the work done by both honorary arid stipendiary stewards, but made some suggestions regarding certain methods of the latter. The behaviour and neat appearance at race meetings of riders and drivers had been generally satisfactory. Occasionally a few indulged in too free a use of appliances permitted by the rules, but'there bad been no cases of gross cruelty. In one case a club had had £o be cautioned for allowing a competitor an unfair advantage. The President also referred to the discuussions regarding the best method of .starting—by clock or by yards. ■ J)urin'g the season over a score of cases of starting before time occurred, and fines amounting to £l2O had been inflicted. The imposition of fines was of no'avail. The only remedy was some universal method of (Starting, and so far as. he* could see the best was one whereby .all horses moved off from a standing point. AMENDMENTS OF RULES. A new rule was adopted providing that, .within six months after its coming into force each club shall, furnish the Association with a civil engineer's certificate of the exact length, of the club's track, measured three feet from the portion of the inside fence which projects furthest over the track. Rule 118a'.was amended to make it legal for a club to accept renominations for second or subsequent days of a meeting of a horse which may,, subsequent to the date on which nominations closed, put jip a placed performance qualifying it *fpr faster classes.

■Section b or Rule 237 was deleted. and a proviso inserted making ineligible "for an amateur rider's or driver's license any person who within rive years has received any remuneration lor riding or driving at any race or J sports meeting, or in. any trotting race. Rule 262 was deleted, and a ne-.\

rule, substituted :—"lf tiie rider of .. placed, horse do not weigh-in. or c ueing weighed' he be i'uund short . weigiit, or be guilty of <w? frauduloi' practice with respect to. weight u weighing, such horse shall be lied for tbo race; or if he touch (unle--. accidentally) any person or. thing ot!u\ than his own equipment before weighing in he may ho fined any sum not exceeding £2O, or his horse may be disqualified for the race." | Another amendment agreed \ipou I was ■■; that "No member of a- judicial committee, shall adjudicate upon any matter upon which ho has given evidence''."

Officers were elected as follows: President, Mr John Rowe (Auckland) ; vice-president, Mr D. H. Roberts (Grevmouth); executive, Messrs C. M. Ollivier (Christenurch), R. .Conn (Dunedin), and L. Cohen (North Isbmd). The • 'Executive were elected a Dates Committee. The next annual conference was fixed for Wellington.

THE CLIFFORD- INCIDENT. j

WELLINGTON, July 13

Replyiug to Mr Tarry in the House to-day, the Premier said itiat while regretting the incident in which -prominent citizens like Sir George Clifford were refused passage from .L-yttel-t'on, the Government had no prose:) t intention of introducing legislation this session to amend the law concerning the sport 'of racing in the dominion. He could not speak definitely on the point. The Government would consider tihe matter. He hoped tha;.

the trouble would soon be" settled, a>. the incident at Lytteiton was not. tithe credit of the parties concerned. j COUNTRY RACING CLUBS. , I ANNUAL CONFERENCE. WELLINGTON, July 13. The annual conference of the New Zealand Country Racing Clubs -a as held to-night, Mr A. Bruce (Thames) presiding over a large attendance. The annual report of the executive stated that although sport generally had been good during the year there was a "rift in the lute," occasioned by a- reduction of racing days to less than those existing prior to 1910, notwith- - standing that the population had con—> siderabl'y increased and new disriets had been opened up and largely settled. Legislation had been prepared _ under : the instruction'of the executive having for its object the restoration of a number of racing: days, and providing eight days for Huint- Clubs, so that the sixteen Hunt Clubs licensed bi-annu&lly c to-use the totalisator might have annual licenses. The Executive considered that as a means of breaking up the hookniaking fraternity the double totalisator machine should be re-introduc-ed and given a trial. "Those gentry give -credit," said: the report, "and cases of embezzlement ha.ve Aeen. traced to threats made by bookmakers to expose the poor victim t 0 his employers. It would be in the best interest of racing and the morals of the community if the bookmakers were'driven out or . New Zealand." |

The report was adopted. ! It was decided to recommend to the Racing Conference that District Committees should issue licenses, hut no committee should issue licenses to any person who had been refused a license-, hy any other District Committee-. I 'The C6nferenco resolved to tr-atj the Auckland Racing Club -nd the Can- j t'erbury Jockey Club should be adwd to ; eliminate penalties from their Cup events. - ■ . , I Mr G. Stead (Hawke's Bay) raised I the question of - pressing for nr-provc- , ments in the horse boxes provided by the Department. He seid that the hoses should he lit by electricity, cr j some better method than existed at pro sent, and accommodation for yttendants should he improved. It was resolved to mention the matter when.the deputation from the Conference waits en the Prime Minister to-morrow. Officers were elected as follows : President, Mr A. Bruce; vice-presi-dent, Mr W. G. ETans (Westland); executive, Hon. 35. W. Allison Uakapuna), W. \Y. Hay (Avondale), Or. HFinny (Nelson), and It. Paterson (\Vestport). I

A .New York cable states that Man-o'-war, a three-year-old colt, set a new record for nine furlongs, the time being • lmin 49 l-ssec. (The Australasian record stands to the credit of Countess Acrasia, whose lmin 51§sec at Brisbane recently displaced Gloaming's Handwick time of lmin 52sec.j Acceptances for all events at the South Canterbury Hunt meeting _ on July: 22nd close at 9 o'clock on Friday evening nest.