WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1484, 3 October 1918, Page 9

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

PAST SEASON REVIEWED.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Racing Club was held on Friday last, Mr. J. B. Harcourt (president) being in the chair, the presentation of the report and balance sheet to members disclosing a most satisfactory position as regards the club’s affairs. In reviewing the operations of the past season, Mr. Harcourt said that owing to the reduction in the days of racing the returns must of a necessity show a considerable falling off compared with last year’s, but, nevertheless, the club’s financial position is improved, and the result of the year is a credit balance of £3726 19s. 9d., as compared with £5261 7s. Id. in 1917. On the asset side the buildings and property are reduced by £503 10s., and sundry debtors and mortgages now stand at £8133 7s. 3d., an increase of £5947 10s. lid.; the bank balance is reduced from £3060 16s. 7d. to £750 9s. Bd." In the revenue account there are heavy reductions in expenditure under nearly all headings. The stakes paid were £17,151 Bs., against £28,170. Government taxation was £13,630 13s. 4d., last year it was £20,047 Is. lOd. The principal reductions under the other headings are: Salaries, £278 65.; rent, rates, etc., £493 10s. 2d.; attendance, £297 14s. 6d.; music, £ll2 155.; N.Z. Racing Conference, £233 ss. 2d. The credit balance is £3726 19s. 9d. Last year it was £5261 7s. Id. —a reduction of £1534 7s. 4d. The increases under the heading are: Maintenance, £502 145.; horse feed, £233 18s. 9d. Other items remain very much the same. The receipts also show large reductions. The totalisator income was £33,032 16s. 10d., compared with £48,477 10s. 10d., or a reduction of £15,414 14s. Gate money was £3317 14s. lid., as compared with £5226 Ils. 4d„ a reduction of £l9OB 16s. 5d., but this is largely owing to no charge being made for admission to the paddock since railway accommodation has been cut off. Nominations and acceptances are less by £2416. Privileges, race books, etc., £996 11s. Id., as compared with £1499 10s. —a reduct’on of £502 19s. 7d. In 1917 £2973 2s. was received from railways, last year no receipts are shown. The general result is that the total receipts for 1918 are £43,718 19s. 7d., as compared with £66,442 16s. lOd. — a reduction of £22, 17s. 3d. In consequence of the continuance of the war racing in Wellington during the past season, was restricted to six days; two of these days were

public holidays (Labour Day and Anniversary Day), three were Saturdays, and only one —-a day in midwinter — was a business day. “I think it will be admitted that we cannot, in the face of this, be accused of over-indulgence, nor can we, which is much more important, be accused of interfering with the war work of the people,” said Mr. Harcourt. “While one still hears demands for the abolition of racing (mostly from those who do not understand its importance) it surely cannot be seriously suggested that if races were abolished altogether the public would work on these public holidays and Saturday afternoons. It is significant that even in Germany, hard pressed as she must be, racing still flourishes, and the stakes given by only a few of the important clubs during the past season were over £lOO,OOO. One can quite understand the necessity in England for severe curtailment, or almost total abolition, owing to the enormous amount of war work the people there have in hand. The conditions here are entirely different, and speaking for the sporting community, I am sure that if any good purpose were to be served we would not cavil at total abolition. Anyone who gives serious thought to the question of the enor-

mous loss which would be caused to breeders, owners and employees in the event of abolition, must adinit that so far no sound reason has been vouchsafed to warrant such a step.

“This opportunity should not pass without referring to the treatment that the racing public has received at the hands of the Railway Department during the whole of the past season. To any business man it is incomprehensible that a highly profitable source of revenue should not only be refused, but, further, that the department should appear to have gone out of its way to cause as much inconvenience to the racing public as possible. New Zealand people have not got a surfeit of pleasures, and perhaps one might venture to predict that if there was a little more pleasure in the country there would be a .little less labour unrest and discontent. The action of the railway authorities has made it particularly difficult for the working classes to enjoy a day’s racing except at prohibitive cost. Members of the club may be assured that its executive has done all in its power to have this railway matter remedied. It has not asked for special facil-

ities;" it has only asked that the ordinary services be made available, where possible, to fit in with the whole of the traffic offering, and even this has been denied.”

Referring to the lack of accommodation at the course, Mr. Harcourt said that the present stands are obsolete and are rapidly wearing out. Beyond keeping them safe, so far as human life is concerned, no money has been spent on them. This point was emphasised, as an erroneous opinion seemed to be abroad that racing clubs existed for. profit-mak-ing. This, of course, is not so. The whole of the revenue of the club was returned to the public, either by way of stakes or in providing suitable accommodation. The surplus that the club had in hand for the latter purpose had been accumulated purely and simply at the expense of the horse owner. The property at Trentham had become a very valuable asset, and while it was nominally the property of the Wellington Racing Club, in effect it really belonged to the Wellington general public. The race track itself was admitted to be one of the finest in Australasia. Ln addition there was for training purposes a sand gallop, a tan gallop, and six grass gallops each 20 feet wide, and the various other facilities

were gradually being made as perfect as possible.

The sum of £57,935 14s. lid. had been paid in taxation since the war started; this was equal to £l4OO per month for each month the war had been in progress. Tins sum had been provided by the racing public only. No sports body in the country other than racing was paying taxation of any moment whatever, and it was a pleasure to recommend the cheerfulness with which this money appeared to be provided. The totalisator turnover per day’s racing, both here and throughout New Zealand, had increased considerably during the past year. This was in a measure due to the general prosperity, but there was another contributing factor which must not be lost sight of, and that was that in the past a large volume of the betting went through the hands of the bookmaker and was never disclosed. It was satisfactory to know that this volume was greatly diminishing, and if the Legislature would give back the double total’sator the bookmaker would soon entirely disappear. “I will conclude,” said Mr. Harcourt, “with an expression of appreciation of "the services rendered by

the staff of the club. Especially is the club indebted to the secretary (Mr. A. E. Whyte) for the ability shown in the management of the club’s affairs.”

The following office bearers were re-elected: President, Mr. J. B. Harcourt; vice-president, Mr. W. H. S. Moorhouse; stewards, Messrs. J. W. Abbott, W. G. Johnston, C. W. Tringham and O. S. Watkins. Messrs. E. Bucholz and A. S. Mac Shane were re-elected auditors.