Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

N.Z. TROTTING CONFERENCE.

ANNUAL MEETING.

(SPECIAL TO "THE P8E39.") WELLINGTON, July 9. The annual Conference of representatives of trotting clubs registered with the New Zealand Trotting Association opened in Wellington this morning. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. The president, Mr John Rowe, in his address, after a reference to the contributions of racing and trotting clubs to revenue by way of donatiras as well as taxes, said: — On previous occasions I have dealt at length with the question of continuance of raciag during the war, and 1 wish to say briefly that while the Allieu countries do not see fit to discontinue their sport, there is no need for thif little country, so far distant from the scene of active hostilities, to make a move. 1 will go so far as to say that it is the paramount duty of the Alhes to continue racing while our enemies do so; and sometimes I wonder when people say "down with racing in war time," whether they have been got at by Germim influence. It is the very thing that that country would have us do, and it would play right into their interests for this very important and obvious reason s once racing is abaudoned the hoTse-breeding industry .a j gone" practically for ever, as breeders j and owners would have no further m- J ducement to continue their studs in 1 view of the rapid improvement in other modern means of transit. The timehas not yet arrived when we can do : without horses for war purposes, and tho fact must be borne m mind that after the war, whether we win or lose, j Germany will, unless practically annu ! hilated. prepare for a greater war than j ever, and will continue racing for the purpose of keeping up tho stock ot military horses. Therefore her enemies, whoever they may be, will be placed at an enormous disadvantage it they do not possess them. Would it not be suicidal on tho part of the Home Government, and hero as well, if no effort were made to keep the breeding of horses intact and encourage it by every possible means? Only a few weeks ago I read that "even the Germans, who during the last fifty years, have' spent millions of pounds in importing thoroughbreds from the very countries with which they are now at war and upon their national studs, recognise this fact, and are keeping racing going to-day amidst all their trials and tribulations, fully convinced it is the only means by which they can ensure a continuous supply of military horses British statesmen, at first reluctantly, but now quite frankly, are facing the same necessity. In this country it has to be admitted even by people who are opposed to the sport, that without racing we should have been unable to supply _ the horsea that have rendered such signal service to the Empire in Egypt, Palestine, Flanders, and France Studying the great wars of the past, it will be found that there were many great and valuable lessons to be learned, and ultimate good resulted to those who observed them, and that those who did not heed the signs of the times went under, either as individuals or as nations,. . Ia putting our house in order, one of the lessons of this war we, as trotting enthusiasts, have to learn is to get out of the rut we have been in for many years and improve the trotting horse; less a machine for reducing as many seconds off his tim© as possible* than a utility animaL not only for rao-

ing purposes, but for long distance travelling and weight-carrying as well. There are those of us who form tho sporting public, and there are also those who do not. Racegoers expect tho ideal racehorse, to be, as it were, a perfected racing machine, whilst the general public (including a fair sprinkling of those who admire the trotter) expect that in addition to racing and as a means of keeping the hoi'6eiieoding industry alive, it should also be of some real value to the State and the possible requirements of the future. This brings me to subject on which I have frequently addressed you bofore, butane I do not intend to discuss except to make brief reference. On the merits of the pacer versus the trotter I have read recently several interesting articles, some trying to show that the increase of the former is a menace to the horse-breeding industry. I cannot agree that pacing is a menace, for we breed almost as many pure-gaited trotters from pacing parents as w e do pacers, and vice versa, and I am quite cloar m my own mind that. 19 out of every 20 pacing yearlings can be made to trot, and trot well, if required, but for the fact that many of our breeders and trainers make pacors out of their trotters for the reason that at a pacing gait the individual comes more readily to its speed. lam not in any way going back on my previously expressed opinion that the puro-gnited trotter should be encouraged, and I would be strongly in favour of added stakes for that class, but my advocacy is largely that we may retain the greatest utility of the whole of tho trotting-bred horses by having them taught to trot. instead of forcing thom to pace, and with that object I think our best course would be to begin now to do away with the hopples, which I hope eventually to see removed from our tracks. The president expressed himself as m favour of the yards system of starting, as he thought "by that means every owner received equal consideration. He spoke of the necessity of*"having a clearer definition of what was meant by training, and then paid a high tribute to the valuable work done by the stipendiary stewards. He submitted tho following figures showing the operations of each club during the season:— 1917-1918. f. i 8.1,. I 51 A 3 SSI Pl 2 AfZ a) Club. £ £

Discussing these figures Mr Howe I pointed out that the number of days i racing had been reduced liom 59 to 5J9, | and tiie average of stakes per day dur- | j ing 1917-18 was &>7, as compared : j with £1215 the previous year. Alter ! i expressing the thanks of the conference ! and tho trotting community to the Rules Revision Committee, whose work 1 was embodied in the new code submitted ' for the consideratipon of members, the president went on to say: — Amongst the notices of motion there 1 is ono from a North Island club identical with, a proposal from a South Island club, and it is evident that both thes© bodies are dissatisfied with the present composition of the Board cf the Association, for they desire that | no paid official of any club shall be eligible for candidature as a member of the Association. This is of such a prohibitive nature, and, if carried, means the loss of tho services of the present North Island members —two gentlemen who have done admittedly good work, one of them for an unbroken period practically dating from the inception of the Association many years ago—that I trust the delegates will give the motion very serious conj sideration. It must not be lost sight of that in I the past it has been a difficult matter • to obtain the services of those who are willing to travel to Christciiurch each month to assist in carrying out the work of tho governing body, for which they receive no remuneration, and sometimes very little thanks. At times some valuable members, noted for their excellent work, have received for their outspokenness in cases upon which they have passed judgment, very poor reward. That is one reason why 1 hope the motion of extending the tenure of office proposed in the new code will be given effect to; that is, that there should be some security for the seats of the members of the Association whereby each member elected would have a life on the Board of say two years at least. Under the present rule the Board, consisting of a body of fearless judges working in the best interests of the sport, is liable to be entirely unseated at the end of the first twelve months. After expressing the hope that before they met again the troublous times of war might be over, the president said: — In conclusion 1 should like to record my sense of pride in our boys, not forgetting those from the ranks of trotting and racing (now difficult to fill) »n the manner in which they are continuing so nobly to respond to the call of the , Empire, also to express the hojpo that

they may soon have good cause to return covered with honour and glory; and finally to extend sympathy to all those, including some round this table, •who have suffered bereavement.

VARIOUS REMITS. (press association telegram.) WELLINGTON, July 9. It was decided that the appointment of Appeal judges be left in the hands : of tho president, an amendment that the matter be left with the executive being defeated by an overwhelming , majority. | It was decided to .cast on owners the responsibility of notifying handicappers . of their horses' performances. ! The question of whether starting should ne by iseconds or yards was left I over for a year. | It was resolved to recommend the incoming executive to review the permits reduced under war conditions, and if : reduction were necessary hi 1920, tho reduction be a fair proportion from one ! day permits, two days' permits, and more. The following new rule was adopted: j "That the Provident Fund fee of £1 must be paid on every horse direct to the New Zealand Trotting Association beforo such horse shall be eligible to be nominated for any trotting race under tho New Zealand Rules of Trotting in th« Dominion, and any owner nominating fi horse for which the Provident' Fund fe» has not .been paid, shall be : fined £5 for every offence."

N.Z. 1TC. .. 3 6 48 15,925 20,050 Auckland T.C. .. 8 5 40 7,700 9,780 For bury Park T.C. .. 3 4 82 6,400 8,000 Canterbury Park T.C. .. 2 2 16 4,270 6,515 Aahburton T.C. 2 3 16 2,935 2,935 New Brighton T.C. .. 2 2 16 2,815 5,085 Otahuhu T.C. .. 2 2 16 2,125 3,770 Grevmouth T.O. 1 2 16 1,600 9,745 Gore T.C. .. 118 1,105 1,115J "Wellington T.C. 1 1 8 1,055 1,005 Timaru T.C. .. 1 1 8 1,050 .1,000 Oamaru T.C. ... 1 1 8 1,000 1,000 Waitnate Plains T.C. ..1 1 8 936 725 Wanganui T.C. 1 1 8 905 1,400 Vinton T.O. .. 1 1» 8 800 600 TVaikato T.C. .. 1 1 8 700 700 Manawatu T.C. 1 1 8 665 565 Westport T.C. ..118 £50 1,200 South Wairarapa T.c. .. 1 1 7 500 500 Inangahua T.C. .. 1 1 8 500 500 Nelson T.C. .. 1 1 8 600 600 Marlborough T.C. 1 1 7 450 450 Totals .. 32 89 810 £54,486 £70,S40J

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19180710.2.22

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16260, 10 July 1918, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,839

N.Z. TROTTING CONFERENCE. Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16260, 10 July 1918, Page 5

N.Z. TROTTING CONFERENCE. Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16260, 10 July 1918, Page 5

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert