TROTTING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2519, 14 July 1915, Page 4

TROTTING

CLUB DELEGATES CONFER ; . PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS PROPOSED WAR TAXATION

The annual conference of' reprosenta:Bvob of rrgistereil trotting'., clubs' was held in Wellington yesteruaj-, tlio prceident (Mr. Jolm Eowo, of Auckland), bailiff in tho chair. There was a full attendance of delegates.

In his annual address the president referred. to the /crisis tho, British na■tion was "passing'through. ' Three, weeks, ■after the-last conference, war had ,been '.declared, arid' since then the Dominion had 125,000 men under,i.arms., .Outdoor recrea(tion had '.'been seriously affected. Tho jranks of riders, drivers, .'aid', trainers had ;been depleted, and: there had-also been-a 'thinning, out. of ..TOlltbred .horses. With 'refer'enco to. the proposed scheme of war .taxation,', it had.'been suggested, not by ,thi). Government,,.-a special and' dis.tiiictivc tax' should .bo imposed on pastimes. . This- savoured of, burdening the willing horses with a further'heavy load, pearly every spotts club, in New Zealand had" provided .soldiers for the- Bmipire. Many club's'had subscribed very liberally to' patriotic funds and devoted .all the profits from their meetings. Ho maintained that a special tax should not be imposed upon any ono class of the community. He had no doubt that those irho Tvero urging this matter along were directing * their energies chiefly against totalisator racing and trotting clubs. Contributions to Patriotic Funds. .. It had been suggested that the present heavy tax upon totalisator receipts should be further increased or' that' it should take: the form of a deduction from dividends. ..By the end of the present racing soason the combined Tacing and trot-' ting clubs would have' paid into tho Consolidated Fund considerably over .6100,000 and have voluntarily contributed <220,000 to tho Patriotic Funds.' He asked if it was fair or reasonable to load them with further taxation? The-Board of Control of .the Now Zealand Sporte Protection. League had taken tho matter up and asked... the branches /of the League throughout the Dominion to oppose any sjecial tax, but to bear their fair;proportion of a general tax.

Sinco tho Government four years ago made a general reduction in tho days of racing and curtailed tho totalisator licenses it was considered that a great injustice had been done the country clubs, some of which suffered heavily.. A Bill was brought before the House and-de-feated. However,: a, fresli measure lost year : was ly ought in restoring somo. of tho cancelled licenses.' He expressed 'tho iridebtednesa of trotting clubs to Mr. 6. Hunter, M.P., for his courtesy and assistance, They realised ,tho difhcult work and' Davey were set by the Government, : and.they deserved hparty congratulations for .the manner in 'which they -accomplished ■ their' task, • V- '•

; System of Control. : Mr. Kowd was..pleased to see that at least,one' club hsid moved .m ; 'the direction of ,- 'tho . appointinent of stipendiary 'stewards.'- T\Vo years ago the ,ftew„ Zealand' Metropolitan' C'lui> proposed that stipendiary stewards' bo appointed, ."and : it wjiS'letVto Hhe executive to report., A ■ report' -was , submitted, but ;to his great surprise., th? .club - which', at. .first urged ■:the "coiifero'nco to adopt tho system deprecated.it, and after the conferonce wus persuaded to .drop the matter temporarily, tho saino club appointed, tor its exclusive v uso two paid othcials from its o\vn members, ono being a steward of the club. Tho task of appointing such officials was always an invidious one, and the club could htiveV beeni' saved . this .last year, had >'the ; iproposal' been carried. ;For. years:past lie :had strongly advocated such appointments .and frequently, point,ed.Vout'.;t!i'o. advantages to be 'derived.- 'i*he : . sporthad:''progressed so 'rapidly -that /it'hiwl puigrown the presedit'.6ystem of cbh-'trol.-'^ThereJwas .a limit clause as -to what. ' aiiy club 1 would. .be liable': for' in propor--tionate ; expenses. ■ The question ; -was.;ohe of: v g'rave' importance"-to jthe,future • of. trotting, and lie recommended-the'matter ;as a very urgentjone.'for their sbrious.Mnsrideration, ' .... ; ' ■ 1 • " ...,' A Big-Question. '; After'putting, in a strong plea for class racing, tho. president went on to refer. to : ithe'question' as to whether, in view of the war, the sport 'should bo curtailed' or ; discontinued. . It should not, ho' -said; bo..overlooked, that there, was - a grpat army of'people connected in a Variety of ways with racing, and that if thb sport ■were stopped a' large number' of wofker's ; would be'thrown..out of 'employment. Most of them were married men, and for the most part were neither fit for military service nor,of an age to take an active part in the war. To deprive them of their living would be a great hardship, and in most cases could not result in their going to the front, ,In other branches of sport it would bo different, for no one would be aifected in the same degree. There tho manhood of the country Was represented; ,and it 'itas very plehsing to see how they had all 'over New Zealand so -\yillingly gono away; very many, of them had thrown down their lives for us, and still hosts of . others were daily preparing to fill the gaps. If the conditions of 'war became so serious that all branches of sport; or pastimes must bo stopped, then this particular branch must'fall into:line and do its hest. The requirements of tho war had already made'themselves felt in this city, and 'he was suro the members of the Wellington Eacing Club, who so willingly placed, their Trentham property at'the disposal of the Defence , authorities for the convenience' of the .military camp, and postponed their winter race 3.

felt proud in being able to render valuable and urgent assistance at such a time of need. Tho Manawatu Eacing CluTj had previously assisted, and was again assisting, tho military authorities. The statement of accounts and the, bal-ance-sheet of the Provident . Fund' were adopted.. Various notices of motions, concerning alterations to'.the Eules of Trotting, wore then dealt with. . .. . , :

Stipendiary Stewards. The most important of theso was a motion by tho New Brighton Trotting Club to add a new rule empowering the executive of the conference to select and appoint two stipendiary etowards for. trotting meetings and to prescribe by-laws and. regulations in connection with' the appointments. Considerable opposition was shown to the motion as framed, tho general opinion being that it was too crude.. It was) however, decided to affirm the principle of tho appointment of stipendiary stewards, the conference agreeing to this by 16 votes to fi. Subsequently it was resolved that the executive should meet and preparo a report on the.scheme,'such scheme to be submitted to a special meeting of the conference to be held within six months, ' Dates of Meetings.;, Dates of meetings were approved as follow.— N.Z. Metropolitan T.C., August 9, 11, 13; Auckland T.C., October 20, 23; Kaikoura T.C., October 25; Oamaru T.C., October 25; Grey mouth T.C., October 25, 28; N.Z. Metropolitan T.C,, November 9, 11, 12; Otahuhu T.C., November 17, 20; Marlborough T.C., November 19; Inangahua T.C., November 21; Forbury Park T.C., November 20, 27; Winton T.C., December 1; New Brighton T.C., December 16, 18) Gore T.C., December '27; Westport T.C.,- December 27. 28; Asliburton T.C. December 27; Auckland T.C., December 28, 29, 31; Canterbury Park T.C., January 1, 3; Greyinouth T.C., January 3, "1; Hut.t Valley T.C., 'January 21; Forbury Park T.C., January 27, 29; Poverty. Bay T.C., February ii Nelson T.C.. February 9; N.Z. Metropolitan T.C., February' 12; Manawatu T.C,, February 'fl?;, Wangamii T.C., February '25, 28; South' Canterbury T.C., March , 2; Auckland T.C., April 5, 8: Wainiate Plains T.C., April 21: N.Z." Jfetropolitan T.C..- April 26,-29; Wostland' T.C., April 27; Forbury Park' T.C., May IV 13; Now Brighton T.C., May 18." 20Canterbury Park T.C'.,,' Juno 1,. 3i : South Wairo'rapa .T.C.',. Juiia .1; AsVbiißon T.C.. Juno 8; Waikato T.C., June 24: Hawke's Bay.T.C., —; Horolvhenua T,C., —. . ,

Tho Ofca.hiuhu. Club is. to-hare . dates tiarly in - March, 11 fortaLrht 'later than (Jiof.o attulJc4 tor, SoutMapi

Trotting Club';is; .to - select a' date other' than April 22. Election of Officers. Officers .were elected a-s follow President, Mr. Jolni Eowe; vice-president, Mr. W„ J. Gore; Messrs. J. G. .Mackay, E. Fox; D. H.. Roberts, - W. J. Gore, and John Rowe; dates committee, same'as executive. :. - Votes of . thanks, were accorded the president, the members of the executive, arid the secretary (Mr. J. B.; Norris). •