ANNUAL MEETINGS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 106, 4 August 1892, Page 7

ANNUAL MEETINGS.

AUCKLAND RACING CLUB. The annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Racing Club was held at the rooms, Durham-street East, on Monday afternoon. The President of the Club, Mr. L. D. Nathan, occupied the chair, and the other members present were : —Messrs. Morrin, W. McLaughlin, Dickey, Kirkwood, A. Levy, Lanigan, Neilson, Garrett, Buckland, H. Thompson, Hawkins, Edwards, Hamley, Cottle, Buckland, jun., Philson, Marshall, Whitelaw, Lawrence, Nolan, Pearce, Austin, Dunwoodie, Lyell (2), J. Russell, L. Levy, Cattanach, C. Abbott, C. Hesketh, S. Coombes, E. Coleman, J. Gallagher, Robt. Duder, Richd. Duder, L. Cooke, A. E. Whitaker, Devore, F. Sharland, T. McEwin, Cleave, Carter, Gaudin, A. Hanna, Grey, Morrison, Blomfield and Major George. The secretary read the minutes of the previous annual general meeting which were duly confirmed, and he then proceeded to read the committee’s report as under: — “To the Members Auckland Racing Club—- “ Gentlemen, —In submitting the Annual Statement of Accounts to you, your Committee must congratulate you upon the continued prosperity of your Club, notwithstanding the severe weather we have experienced at almost all our Meetings. During the year we have held six meetings, giving in added money the sum of as against “ During the season the amount of money pnt through the machine has been as against 568, which shows an increase of /i 6,623, or over the corresponding meetings of last year. “ Your Committee carried out the idea of holding an early Spring Meeting, which turned out well financially; and when owners and trainers know this meeting will be a regular fixture, no doubt it will prove more profitable. The two days’ Winter Meeting proved also a great success, although spoiled by unfavourable weather. “A Conference of Delegates has been held in Wellington, when the formation of a New Zealand Jockey Club was again postponed. “ You will have to select six Com-mittee-men in the room of Messrs. Morrin, Russell, Thompson, Philson, Garrett, and Dickey, who retire in terms of Rules, but, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. “ Mr. E. W. Alison has also given the necessary notice that he intends to stand for election as a Member of Committee. “ L D. Nathan, President.” The balance sheet was taken as read, as under : — Balance-Sheet eor the Year ending June 30, 1892.

The Chairman congratulated the members upon the large attendance, and said he was glad to see them take such an interest in the affairs of the club. The chairman then said : —“ In moving the adoption of the report and balancesheet, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on the very satisfactory position of the Club. I am happy to say that the balance-sheet, notwithstanding the many drawbacks we have had to contend against during the last racing season, shows as a result for the year’s operations, /1026 14s 6d. This added to the surplus of last year’s accounts, viz. /'i 5,475 gs sd, gives a total of /16,502 3s 1 id; which sum, after deducting 12 os 7d, being the amount expended on grand stand, working plant, new paddock, furniture, fencing, racecourse, leaves the surplus of assets over liabilities of /15,79 c 3s 4d, a result on which the club must be congratulated. The statement of accounts that are placed before you explain under their different headings the general receipts and expenditure of the various meetings and the transactions of the club for the past year, and after carefully inspecting these accounts you will observe that while we have been liberal to horse-owners, we have had a vigilant eye on the club’s financial position, and have looked after its interests carefully. The year has not been without its troubles and difficulties, and your committee have experienced no inconsiderable anxiety. I am afraid that it is very often forgotten by those who are always only too ready and too eager to find fault with the Board of Management of the great amount of valuable time these gentlemen spend in looking after and thereby watching the club’s welfare and business, and that the only compensation the committee have for giving their close attention to the affairs of the club is in the belief that they are acting as public-spirited citizens in providing for the support of honourable racing, and in upholding the great national pastime as free from abuses as it is possible to do under a variety of circumstances. I hope you will pardon me if I detain you a little longer than usual, and digress from the formal £ s. d. affairs of this meeting to give you my views on the subject that is now agitating the racing world in this colony: I allude to the totalisator. It is useless to disguise the fact that there has been too much racing the past year, and that the general public, as apart from those more immediately concerned, have been somewhat surfeited. I submit, however, so far as this club is concerned, we are not to blame. In passing suburban and country programmes, it must not be lost sight of that permission is granted as per the rules of racing as adopted by the Metropolitan Clubs of this colony. And although the Government give the Metropolitan Clubs to control the totalisator under certain conditions, any arbitrary exercise of that control would probably injure provincial sport, and any tendency in the way of monopoly would divide into hostile camps the town and country lovers of racing. Country and suburban clubs are in reality feeders to the Metropolitan, and while laxity is to be condemned, liberality is to a great extent excusable. The Colonial Secretary is the central authority for granting the use of the machine, and whilst it is possible to bring political influence to bear upon this gentleman through Parliamentary representatives wishing naturally to please electors,

there will, I fear, always be a rather too accommodating reply to requests from clubs, who have been either refused by, or who are not within reach of the Metropolitan. The number of pony and trotting races in and around Auckland during the past year has been excessive. And I need hardly say that your club is free from all responsibility in this matter. They used their best efforts to prevent it, but were thwarted by a higher authority. It may not be out of place for me to here mention that in Sydney the pony racing business has increased to such an extent that owners'not satisfied with the daylight actually raced their animals at Lillie Bridge by the electric light. And at last the Metropolitan Club in order to endeavour to curtail this excessive pony racing, had to pass drastic and stringent laws in the hope of reducing these meetings. One of the chief arguments against the encouragement to ponies racing is that it is* only a “small horse,” and that the breeding of a diminutive and stunted class of thoroughbreds should be discouraged. I can well understand the license being granted to use the totalisator fortrotting races pure and simple, because trotters are undoubtedly a useful stamp of horse, but trotting races alone do not seem to give the necessary excitement in this city, and hence, in order to minister to the gambling instinct, pony races are mixed with trotting. It is this disturbing element which makes the general public conclude that racing is overdone, and the totalisator has been brought into disrepute, through a too-ready yielding to solicitations, and an inadequate conception of responsibility. My idea is that it is the function of a Metropolitan Club to- provide horseracing for the publicTwho have a fondness for this most living of all old English out-door sports, and for those who are prepared to support it when under proper management. It is not the function of any club to do more than give that healthy safety valve to the proclivities of colonists, which, if kept under too much goody-goody subjection, would, inevitably, break out in, perhaps, a much less excusable form. Auckland has gained such a high reputation from horses produced here, largely under the encouragement of high-class racing, that there is no necessity for me to defend the club from the attack that we are developing a spirit of gambling under the pretence that we are improving the breed of horses. It is very questionable if backing horses to win races, under the belief that the chance is worth the risk, is any more a gamble than the hundred and one operations of every-day life in which parties with strong opinions, and under information, stake their money to win or lose by the result. Now-a-days the totalisator makes it less necessary for horseowners to back their horses, as the stakes are. as a rule, so encouraging; and we all know that anyone visiting the racecourse, and who cares to invest on the machine, stands an equal chance — the rich man with the poor one, and vice versa. It is in my opinion a far less reprehensible form of gambling to do this in open day, and under cash investments, than to do it under all the inducements of speculating weeks and even months ahead under a credit system with the bookmakers, and when probably the investor had but an outside show of ever (having a run for his money. No doubt you have all read with pleasure the excellent speech of Hon. Captain Russell on Mr. Smith’s motion, ‘ That the machine should be abolished.’ There was one point, however, that I think was missed, viz., that the public have all the sport, even if they do pay io per cent, on their machine investments, without it costing them a shilling to bring the colours to the convincing ground, and if the value of the stakes are to be reduced, which must take place if totalisator investments are to be abolished, and which are not at present complained of by those making them, there will necessarily be less encouragement to breed, and to race, and consequently fewer gatherings on the green sward, where all classes meetand take their pleasant outing. We are not all built to enjoy tea and buns. It is not the use but the abuse of the machine that is wrong, and although we have had something like a Parliamentary picture of Satan reproving sin, I believe that the common sense of the House of Representatives will save it from abolishing the fairest system pf betting yet introduced. Of course, whilst the existing uncertainty lasts, the financial future of the club must be doubtful, because the instrument is now our chief source of revenue. We have, however, the solid facts of being in a good monetary position, with practically only one debt, and that made fairly easy io / deal with. We have a splendid

property in Ellerslie, admirable in every way as a racecourse, beautiful as a picture and comparable in every respect with the finest courses in England or Australia. I can only hope that my successor will be able to furnish as good a record when we hold our next annual meeting, and I have much pleasure in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet.”

When the Chairman was about to put the motion for adoption of the report and balance sheet, Major George rose and said that it was the first time for several years he had been to a meeting of the club. The Chairman had referred to the good management of the committee during the past year ; but some people were thinking of never racing again during the present management, for honest men could hardly take any part in the meetings now. Very grave cases had been passed over, amongst others the Friendship case, which was one of the grossest cases he had ever heard of. There was another case in which one of the officers of the club had distinctly stated that the horse had gone out with proper weights and yet when a change had taken place when it came in nothing was done. The Major then went on to refer at length to the Stranger case, and said that such offences were unfair to those men who ran their horses for pure sport. If they did not protect the straightforward men by punishing those who ran crooked, racing would soon become a sport only suited to low blackguards. The Chairman pointed out that Major George’s trainer and man had turned round completely, and exonerated the accused party. Mr. Devore commented on several items of the balance sheet, and Mr. Marshall followed in a similar strain. A lengthy discussion of a somewhat recriminatory nature was put a stop to by Mr. Devore moving, “ That in the opinion of this meeting full details as to the sundry charges should be printed with regard to this and future balance sheets,” which was carried nem. con. Mr. Alison asked if it was the intention of the club to disregard the Rules of Racing, and hold six race meetings in the year, in contravention of the rule limiting the number to five ?

The Chairman said no one knew better than Mr. Alison thet the extra meeting was a complimentary one to Lord Onslow. Mr Alison contended that that was no answer to a direct infringement of the rules.

A difficulty was then raised with reference to Mr. Devore’s resolution, some members contending that it was equivalent to stating that the balancesheet was incorrect, and therefore an adjournment would be necessary to give time to make the necessary alterations. Mr. Russell said the difficulty might be got over by moving, “ That in the present instance Mr. Devore’s resolution be given effect to by a more detailed statement of sundry charges being printed and sent out to each member of the club, and that in future the required details be supplied in the balance-sheet.” He moved accordingly, and Mr. Devore accepting this, it was carried unanimously. Mr. Marshall then proceeded to further criticise the balance-sheet, despite several interjections from members, who protested against the time of the meeting being wasted, and after he had finished, the Chairman’s motion for the adoption of the report and balance-sheet was carried, subject to the conditions of Mr. Devore’s resolution.

The Chairman then proposed the following resolutions, which were carried without any discussion:—l. “That the trustees of the Ellerslie Racecourse be empowered to borrow from the Australian Mutual Provident Society sum of £lO,OOO for the term of ten years, at the rate of interest of 9 per centum per annum, reducible to £7 per centum per annum by punctual payment of the interest at the said rate of £7 per centum per annum on the security of the Ellerslie Racecourse, the property of the Auckland Racing Club.” 2. “ That the mortgage deed, securing the said sum of £lO,OOO and interest, shall contain all such covenants and conditions as the committee of the said club may authorise, and a power of sale by the mortgagees of the mortgaged property in case of the non-payment of the principal and interest at the times appointed, or on breach or non-obser-vance of any of the covenants or conditions of the mortgage.” 3. “ That the said trustees are authorised to execute a deed of mortgage containing the above terms.” 4. “ That the trustees of the said club are authorised to take all necessary steps

to have the land, the property of the said club, brought under the provision of the Land Transfer Act.” Mr. Devore then moved, “ That in the opinion of this meeting (1) racing in the provincial district of Auckland is excessive ; (2) that the use of the totalisator is excessive ; (3) that it be an instruction to the incoming committee to reduce the number of race meetings within this provincial district during the ensuing season, and thereby decrease the use of the totalisator; (4) that racing be centralised at selected centres as much as practicable.” Mr. Devore said that there was no doubt that as the Chairman had said, there was too much racing in the Auckland provincial district. He observed that there hadbeen an increase of £17,000 in the amount put through the totalisator, which, he thought, was far too much. The great thing in the way of improvement was to have the racing centralised at selected centres, and at stated times. He then proceeded to show in detail how racing might be centred in certain places in the Auckland district. He said he did not see any reason why the committee of the A.R.C. should not make it known that all clubs should send in their programmes for the season for approval before the end of September. The alterations he suggested would, he was sure, be of distinct advantage to horse owners and to horse breeders.

Mr. Hawkins seconded the motions, which were carried without any further discussion.

Mr. Alison rose to propose the following resolution : “ That in the opinion of this club no larger sum than 10 per cent, should be charged on totalisator investments, and that this be a recommendation to the club’s incoming committee.”

The Chairman ruled that the motion could not be put, as the necessary seven days’ notice provided for by the rules had not been given. A ballot was then taken for the election of four commiteemen, with the following result :—Morrin, 46 ; Dickey, 46 ; J. Russell, 46 ; Garrett, 45 ; Philson, 44 ; Thompson, 44; and Alison, 14. The retiring members of committee were therefore re-elected. The customary vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.

Dr. £ s. d. To Creditors Secured 11,000 0 0 Distressed Jockey Fund 464 II 0 Capital 15.475 Less written off 9 5 for depreciation.. 712 0 7 14,763 8 IO Profit and Loss 1,026 14 6 £27,254 >4 4 Cr. By Debtors 572 18 6 Unpaid Subscriptioas ... 167 11 0 Racecourse 17,000 0 0 New Grand Stand 8,000 0 0 Derby Stand 800 0 0 Furniture 250 0 0 Working Plant 275 0 0 Savings Bank 50 3 0 Balance in Cash and in Bank 138 0 8 Suspense Account 1 1 2 £27,254 >4 4 Profit and Loss Account for the Year ending June 30, 1892. To Wages, Salaries, etc. ... 872 >5 3 Office Rent 52 0 0 Interest 8n 3 4 Onslow Meeting >45 >4 3 Tan Gallop Charges, viz.— 35 18 0 Property Tax Rates 50 2 10 Insurance 35 8 3 Telephone 14 IO 0 Conference 19 0 0 Turf Register .... 10 IO 0 Caretaker’s Cottage 26 0 0 Sundry Charges ., 288 8 11 444 Balance 1,026 14 6 £3,388 5 4 Cr. £ s. d. By Members’ Subscriptions, etc. 814 0 0 Assumed Names ....... >5 15 0 Registration Colours .., 2 2 0 Rent of Course and Training Fees 140 12 II

First Spring Meeting ,... .. .. 122 3 0 Second Spring Meeting .. 374 15 11 Summer Meeting .... L334 5 5 Autumn Meeting .... 69 12 1 Winter Meeting .... 218 9 IO Spring Meeting, 1893 .... 55 5 8 Summer Meeting, 1893-94 193 4 0 Autumn Meeting, 1893 .. 47 19 6 Z3,388 5 4 Capital Accjunt. Dr. £ s. d. To amount written off for depreciation 712 0 7 Balance .... 15,790 3 4 £i6,5°2 3 11 Cr. £ s. d. By Balance 30th Tune, 1891 .. .... 15,475 9 5 Profit for year ending 30th June, 1892 .... 1,206 6 £16,502 3 11 Statement of Accounts for the Year ending June 30, 1892. First Spring Meeting, 1891. RECEIPTS. £ s. d. To Nominations 176 IO 0 Gates 54 5 6 Grand Stands 45 17 6 Totalisator 358 IO 3 Booths 5 0 £699 8 3 EXPENDITURE. By Added Money 521 5 0 0 Less 5 per cent 26 5 0 498 13 0 Sundry Charges 78 IO 3 577 5 3 Balance to Profit and Loss 122 0 0 £699 8 3 Spring Meeting. receipts. £ s. d. To Nominations and Sweeps . 4 r 9 0 0 Gates 183 I 6 Grand Stands 130 5 0 Booths .6 6 Totalizator 1,054 7 4 Less Tax 171 IO II 882 16 5 Sale of Horse 5i O 0 £1,833 9 5 EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. £ s. d. By Added Money .... 1,310 0 0 Sweepstakes 60 0 0 L37O 0 0 Less 5 per cent. .. 68 IO 0 L3 O1 10 0 Sundry Charges 157 3 6 1,458 13 6 Balance to Profit and Loss .... 374 15 11 £i,833 9 5 Summer Meeting. RECEIPTS. £ s. d. To Nominations 770 0 0 Sweepstakes 330 0 0 Gates 645 6 0 Grand Stands 53i 12 6 Booths 649 13 0 Totalisator 3,*97 9 6 Less Tax 452 1 2 2,745 8 4 Sale of Horses 33 11 0 £5,705 IO IO EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. By Added Money .... 3,910 0 0 Sweepstakes 330 0 0 4> 2 4O 0 9 Less 5 pea cent. .. 212 0 0 — 4,028 0 0 Sundry Charges 343 5 5 3,371 5 5 Balance to Profit and Loss .... L334 5 5 £5,705 IO IO Onslow Meeting. RECEIPTS. £ s. d. To Nominations 251 0 0 Gates 17 0 Grand Stands 49 0 0 Booths IO 0 Totalisator 435 5 11 Less Tax 60 15 8 374 IO 3 Sale of Horse 50 8 0 914 5 3 Balance to Profit and Loss .... 145 T 4 3 £1,059 19 6 EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. £ s. d. By Added Money 950 0.0 Less 5 per cent 47 10 0 902 IO 0 Sundry Charges 157 9 6 £1,059 19 6 Autumn Meeting. RECEIPTS. £ s. d. To Nominations 0 0 Sweepstakes 118 0 0 Gates 194 19 0 Grand Stands 115 0 0 Booths 178 5 6 Totalizator 1,070 3 0 Less Tax 150 12 *11 919 IO 1 £2,007 14 7

EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. Z s. d. By Added Money ., ... 1,720 0 0 Sweepstakes .... 118 0 0 1,838 0 0 Less 5 per cent. 9 T 18 0 — 1,746 2 0 Sundry Charges 192 0 6 L938 2 6 Balance to Profit and Loss • • 69 12 1 ,£2,007 14 7 Winter Meeting. receipts. s. d. To 498 0 0 Gates 122 19 0 Grand Stands .. 76 7 6 Booths 119 1 6 Totalisator .... ... 807 3 7 Less Tax .... 113 19 9 6 93 3 IO Sale of Horse .. .. 62 0 11 0 IO EXPENDITURE. s. d. £ s. d. By Added Money .. .. 1,240 0 0 Less 5 per cent. 62 0 0 — 1,178 0 0 Sundry Charges 175 2 0 i,353 2 0 Balance to Profit and Loss • • • • 218 9 IO ZL57I 11 IO