THE DISPUTED DEBT OF HONOUR BETWEEN THE WELLINGTON AND JOHNSONVILLE TROTTING CLUBS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 329, 12 November 1896, Page 10

THE DISPUTED DEBT OF HONOUR BETWEEN THE WELLINGTON AND JOHNSONVILLE TROTTING CLUBS.

TO 'HIE EDITOR. Sir, I was very much amused at the audacity of the letter of tho president of the Wellington Trotting Club, published in your issue of the 22nd inst., with regard to the way in which Mr Crawford and his stewards make a lame attempt to withdraw from the guarantee of paying the deficiency of the Johnsonville and Hutt County Trotting Club for the January meeting. I quite agree with you that there are two sides to every question. First, as the Wellington Trotting Association has no real or effective existence that body could not very well guarantee any loss that would arise. But, in our case the following individual members of the Wellington Trotting Club, Messrs. 11. D. Crawford, J. K. Hamilton, R. Pollock, W. Ramsay, and the Secretary (Mr A. J. Connell), guaranteed to make good any loss to the Johnsonville club over its meeting of the 21st January, if all nominations of horses that had competed at meetings held

under N.I.T.A. Rules were rejected. Thus, htiy-y ing received such a sportsmanlike offer, we, under the circumstances, at once complied with their request, and accordingly notified all horse owners, at the same time returning their nominations. And again referring to this matter and in allusion to Mr Crawford’s letter, I might inform your readers that he was quite at sea when he states that it was under the pressure of horse owners our club decided to reject the nominations in question. I need hardly say that Mr Crawford’s letter on this subject was the first intimation received by any of the stewards of the J. and iI.C.T. Club of the withdrawal of the guarantee above mentioned. Finding we had a serious loss of £59 Ils Gd over the said meeting, I approached the secretary of tho Wellington Trotting. Club in order to convene a meeting for the submission of our receipts and expenditure, showing such deficiency named ; but on account of the absence of one or more of the members the meeting was put off from time to time, until, finding themselves in a hole through not having the Colonial Secretary’s permit for their April meeting at Miramar, they approached us (i.e., a few members of the J. and H.C.T.C.), for the purpose of obtaining our permit (then available), and at the same time again guaranteeing to us the loss of the 21st January should we sign an intimation to the authorities for the transfer of the said permit to their club. Had wo not done this tho Wellington Trotting Club’s meeting would have been a financial failure. But I must say this, on that occasion the secretary, myself, and other stewards of the club were absent, thus obviating a meeting being called to discuss the request of the Wellington Trotting Club ; consequently, we were debarred from demanding the deficiency named by cheque before transferring tho permit. Believing, as we did, that their word was their bond, and as no time was to be lost (the meeting was to come off the next day) we naturally and good naturedly gave way in order to save any serious loss by their club. But this kindness on our part has not up to the present led to the payment of the guarantee made by the Wellington Trotting Club. To conclude, like their president, these are the facts, and require no further comment, and can Mr Crawford deny them ?—I am, etc., George Bennett, Delegate to the J. and H.C.T.O. [Of course the Wellington Club or Mr Crawford may reply, but after that the correspondence must cease, as no practical good will result in a public controversy upon a subject that should have been seetled on an amicable and sportsmanlike spirit. —Ed. S.R.]