THE GREY VALLEY RACES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XVI, Issue 2026, 4 February 1875, Page 2

THE GREY VALLEY RACES.

A public meeting was held at Gilraer's Hotel, Abaura, on Tuesday evening, to discuss the desirability of making arrangements for bringing off the annual race meeting at Ahaura this season. There were a large number of the residents of Abaura, Totara Flat, and the Haupari present. John Overend was voted to the chair, and explained that it had become necessary to call a meeting, because, there not being a Jockey Club or any permanent Racing Club in the Grey Valley, a new committee had to be elected every year to take the management of the races. Mr John M. Ollivier then addressed the meeting. Jje referred to the balancer sheet of the late committee, which showed that a considerable sum was in hand. Tfce former committee had decided this money should net be diverted to any purpose but horse-racing, and this being so, it would be best to utilise the fund for the purpose intended. The most important poiut the meeting would have to decide would be the date of holding the meeting, and this would require careful consideration. An opinion was very generally held that it would not be advisable to again have the meeting at Ahaura until after the Greymouth races were finished. Jt was found in previous years that owners of good horses entered for the Greymouth big handicap, were very shy of running their stock up-country, unless the weights were made exactly to suit them, and this, as much as anything else, had been the cause of the partial failure of former meetings. If the races came off after the Greymouth meeting all dread of the Greymouth handicappers would be done away with, and there would very likely be none of that manoeuvring so prevalent among the "knowing ones, when the necessity of "squaring" any of the big events was the sole object in view. There were other matters to be considered in respect to altering the date of the meeting, and not the least important of these would be the greater probability there was of making the gathering a perfect suc-

cess in a business sense,iand as the money received from the sale' of ;; booths, &c, made a considerable addition to the racefund, the interests of iihose who' paid the money should be thought of. ~'v ■ Mr M. H. Hayden, as Hon. Sec. to the late Committee explained the condition of the race fund, and alluded to other matters connected with the meeting last season. ■ < Tne desirability of having a race meeting this season on the Ahaura course, was then formally affirmed by resolution, and it was decided, after discussion, that the meeting would be held on Monday and Tuesday, 22nd and 23rd March. \ The following gentlemen were appointed a Race Committee, with power to elect stewards and officers, and to carry out the arrangements :— Messrs Ollivier, Garth, Kennedy, Overend, Burrows, Reeves, M'Langhlin, Mason, O'Neill, Hayden, and Dr Phillips. Mr Broad will be requested to act as Judge, and the following officers were appointed: — Mr J. M. Ollivier, Treasurer ; Mr M. H. Hayden, Hbn; Sec; Mr G. Mason, Starter ; MrR. Reeves; Cierk of the Course ; and Mr T. H. Garth, Cleik of the Scales. Canvassers for subscription were told off as follows : — In the town of Ahaura, Messrs Olivier and Kennedy ; Totara Flat, Little Grey, Half -Ounce, ; &c. , Messrs John Hamilton and , Walter Burrows ; Greymouth, Messrs Garth and Gilmer; 3 Haupari; and Amuri, Messrs G. Mason and O'Neill, A subscription list waa opened , in the, room, and amounts, footing up to, nearly iilOO, were affixed to the names of those pi esent. The canvassers in the town and vicinity were directed to bring; up reports by next meeting, arid after passing a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting adjourned to the evening of, Friday; sth February.