TROTTING CLUB

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8839, 2 November 1942, Page 2

TROTTING CLUB

MEETING AT THAMES OFFICERS FQR THE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FEE REDUCED There was a good attendance of .members at the annual meeting of the Thames Trotting Club, which took place at the Druids’ Hall on Wednesday night, the president, Mr W. B. Teasdale, presiding. The report of the committee giving a review of the work of the club during the past year having been circulated to the members and also published in the Gazette was taken as read. .

The only matter arising from the report was the question of whether the annual subscriptions of members should be reduced, seeing that the club, in amalgamation with the Waikato and Cambridge clubs, would hold three race meetings at Te Rapa course, Hamilton, in place of a meeting at Thames.

The president explained that, at the request of the Minister of Internal Affairs, a conference was held at Hamilton, at which he represented the Thames club. The Minister, in his letter to the conference, suggested that the three clubs should amalgamate and hold three meetings at Hamilton, and made it a condition of such an arrangement that the Waikato Trotting Club should control all three meetings. This meant that members of the Thames club could enjoy all the privileges of membership at the Te Rapa course, but the officials of the Waikato club would conduct the meeting. He assured the meeting that he put up a strong plea for the appointment of the club’s starter, but' was overruled. Seeing that many members of the Thames club would not be able to attend the meetings at Te Rapa, he thought there was some justification in the suggestion that the question of the annual fee should be considered. Discussion

Mr E. McLoughlin considered that, in view of the race meeting being held at Te Rapa and that many of the members should not be able attend, the annual fee be reduced to about ss.

Messrs Hislop, Hawkins and McCullough considered that it should not be lower than 10s, and to test the feeling of the meeting, Mr F. McCullough moved and Mr G. Hawkins seconded, that the fee be 10s. After some discussion, an amendment by Messrs R. Arbury and E. McLoughlin, that the meeting recommends to the committee that the fee be 5s for this year only, was eventually carried.

Appointment of Starter

The question of the appointment of a starter was discussed, Mr S. Hislop maintaining that the Thames club should have thd.right to appoint its starter for at least one of the meetings. The suggestion was supported by Messrs E. McLoughlin and J. H. Ensor, whose motion that a letter be sent to the Waikato club suggesting that the club be allowed to appoint its starter for one or all of the meetings, was carried. Officers Elected Patron, Mr J. Thorn; president, Mr W. .B. Teasdale; vice-presidents, Messrs D. Maclcay, E. McLoughlin, R. M. Rhodes, E. Watson; stewards, Messrs J. Casey, A. Currie, H. E. Harden, C. J. MdPike, A. McConnell, G. G. Smith, T. G. Tizard, H. Bax, J. P. English, F. Heaton, J. Corbett, G. Hawkins; committee, Messrs E. Elliot, H. G. Murray, A. E. Rabbidge, H. A, Vollemaere. A report was received from the secretary, Mr E. 0. Brownlee, who had attended the annual conference at Wellington as the club’s delegate. The report was adopted. Votes of Condolence In thanking the members for reelecting him president, Mr W. B. Teasdale spoke of the great loss sustained by the club through the death of the late founder and only president, Mr J. Twohill. He also referred to the deaths of Messrs E. H. Griffin, H. G. Brownlee, W. Graham, J. E. Phillips, C. Molloy, T. McLoughlin, R. Richards and A. Steedman. In their memory all present stood in silence for a few minutes. Illness of Secretary

Before the meeting closed, it was decided to send a letter to the secretary, Mr E. 0. Brownlee, wishing him a speedy recovery from his illness.