Untitled

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 161, 24 August 1893, Page 4

The proceedings at the annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Trotting Club on Monday were a wee bit lively. There were some slightly discordant elements at work, and the major part of the meeting was somewhat acrimonious. Mr Tonks was a member ‘ who wanted to know, you know,’ and he spoke his mind pretty freely when he expressed his objection to one of the first items in the balance sheet, ‘ sundry debtors, £416 Is.’ He maintained —and justly too, in our opinion—that the Club had no right to have such a large amount owing to them, and he requested that some particulars should be furnished to the members as

to what the items of this amount were. He appealed to the chairman and treasurer for some information on the subject, but neither seemed inclined to say much. Mr Tonks at length elicted the interesting information that the amount owing last year was £156, so that the increase since then amounted to £250. This gave him a handle to dilate on, but he had only a few members behind him who were bold enough to give expression to their views, and he did not improve his prospects of obtaining the information he was in quest of when he moved in the direction of publishing a list of the owners in default. Had he straight-away moved an adjournment of the meeting for a fortnight so as to give time for the preparation of a statement as to the details of the £416 Is, we believe the feelings of the meeting would have been with him, and he would have been backed up by a majority. But as it was his motion was met by an amendment ‘ That the list be not published,’ and MrTonks was badly beaten. When the chairman moved the adoption of the report and balance sheet Mr Tonks found another opportunity of returning to the charge. Off these debts the Club had in the balance sheet written ‘ 5 per cent, deduction for value,’ and Mr Tonks—again with a good show of reason —argued that this was not enough to write off, and moved that 25 per cent, be written off instead of 5 per cent. After he had on several occasions come into collision with the chairman, the treasurer and one or two members to whom his remarks seemed very unpalatable —why, we know not, for surely there can be no harm in a member of a club giving utterance to his opinions and asking for information to which, as a member, he is entitled —Mr Tonks was again badly beaten, and the meeting then proceeded harmoniously to a close. We must congratulate Mr Tonks on the stand he took up. while expressing our regret that he marred it somewhat by his indiscretion. We wish more members of the Club had been found ready to express their opinions. But that £416 Is does seem a large sum to be outstanding, and members of the A.T.C. should certainly have been allowed some knowledge of how it is made up. We only hope for the Club’s sake that they will find that their estimate of 5 per cent, reduction is not based upon false premises.