TROTTING CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1931, Page 5

TROTTING CONFERENCE

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 14

Every Trotting Club in tile Dominion was represented at the Trotting Conference held at Wellington to-day. The President, Mr H. F. NicholJ, delivered the Presidential address. PR ESLDENT’S AD DRESS.

Gentlemen, —The season now closing has been a trying one for us all, and our Clubs, Owners and Trainers have not escaped from the general troubles and depression. Club Committees have had serious questions to solve in connection with finance, and it has been pleasing to note the courageous spirit in which they have tackled the problems encountered, and how, despite the grey surroundings, they have carried on, confident in the future of the sport, and in the generous support of the public, who turn with relief from their everyday anxieties to the necessary relaxation which a few hours at the races provide them. There is one party who cry “Keep on Smiling and all will be well,” but this attitude offers no successful solution to our problems; and then there is another section who circulate grievous rumours of the critical condition of our industries, and of agriculture! this latter spirit only chills the heart and enfeebles the will of the people. TAXATION". T do not propose to erect taxation as the bogey which has resulted in the present difficult position of the Racing and Trotting Clubs; that the heavy taxation which has been imposed has caused a certain amount of stagnation in the Totalisator turnover, and a diminution of-stake moneys offered by the Clubs, is undoubted, and that many Clubs would be quite unable to carry any addTtional taxation is also certain, but the fall of about £2,000,000 in the Totalisator figures should he sufficient warning to the powers that be that the limit has been reached in taxation so far as (Pacing and Trotting Clubs are concerned. They have always been the willing horse, and have responded to the whip and spur, but to-day they are jaded and gasping. They have carried their burden manfully, but the last straw has been loaded, and further punishment would be disastrous. SUPERVISION AND CONTROL. In reviewing the year’s racing we have reason to be pleased with the progress made, despite adverse circumstances. The popularity of Trotting remains undiminished, due in no small degree to the strict control exercised by officials, both paid and honorary, to whom we owe thanks for their unvarying forethought and supervision, not only of the racing, but of all matters which may require attention relative to the conduct of the sport. I might enlarge upon this topic, because it is one of .basic importance. The work involved in building up and ' eai'l'yifig •‘oiLthe , ’exisF-' dice of such a volume of business to the satisfaction of so many different allied bodies, ranging from the public, the Department of Internal Affairs, through tiie strata of the Conference, the Association, Clubs, Owners, iraineis, and of others with whom we co-operate has never been fully comprehended. That we are able to carry on from year to year with a minimum of friction, and with a large degree of satisfaction and enjoyment to those referred to, is a feat upon which all can be congratulated. Tile work of our Stipendiary Stewards calls tor unstinted praise. Some time a-tfer the system was initiated the Conference appointed three officers, and their oversight has eliminated many of the weaknesses from which we used to suffer in the conduct of our Race meetings. Mr Reid resigned his position last year, and your Executive decided, in view of the hard times, to continue with two Stipendiaries, and Messrs. Beer and Commons shouldered the extra work without complaint, and to the satisfaction of the Clubs they assist. All of you who have met those two officers in the course of their work will have recognised the tact, impartiality and sense of their obligations, coupled with thorough knowledge of their business, with which they discharge their duties, and we owe them warm commendation for their co-oper-ation under the Stipendiary Stewards’ Committee. Messrs Beer and Commons have accepted a 10 per cent, reduction in. their salaries with the test of grace / and I. trust the St .wards ■ 11 continue to afford these officers all the support and assistance in their work which they so well deserve. RACECOURSE, INSPECTORS.

I wish once again to refer to our Racecourse 'lnspectors. We are becoming so accustomed to the universal good behaviour of all who attend our Race meetings that some may be apt to forget that the happy surroundings, and the lack of anything that might offend the most circumspect, have been, to a great degree, brought about by the steady and tactful supervision of our Inspectors. "When the call to economise is heard on every side, and we are ourselves looking to discover wliere we can cut down expenses, to some it might appear that the Racecourse Inspector was, nowadays, a superfluity, and that money could he saved by retrenching those officers, but it would he a short-sighted policy. Without the vigilance of the Inspectors undesirable characters would quickly congregate again upon the racecourses, and we would speedily be in trouble. The Racecourse Inspectors have willingly agreed to a 10 per cent, cut in their remuneration, and further economies in the way of travelling expenses and overlanpinc are beine considered. HANDICAPPING. Another factor in the improved con- ] ditions of our racing, and a matter of gratification to our patrons, is the

system of handicapping instituted two years ago. At last year’s Conference you decided to carry on this system for a further twelve months, and, that this has resulted in bigger-fields and keener contests as universally acknowledged, and owners and trainers collectively are warm supporters of the innovation. There are weaknesses •to be overcome, mainly caused by erratic handicapping, and a want of understanding of the system. The trouble wiifch some of our handicappers is a lack of precision of thought, and they may not be unlike ourselves in this respect, hut their handicaps are apt to advertise this failing, whilst we, who are not so well advertised, escape- criticism. Your Vice-President’s outburst at the last Conference was not levelled so much at the existing system but at the application of it, and with tile - view to correcting this your Executive have brought forward new Rules, wherebyhandicappers should be licensed, and power given to the Stipendiary Stewards’ Committee to- make regulations, consistent with the system, for the guidance of these suggestions, most of the present drawbacks and petty worries would be eliminated. NEW RECORDS.

The results of importations from aboard and of careful breeding are again shown in the notable improvements in speed, alike in old and young horses.

At the N.Z. Metropolitan Club’s February meeting some phenomenal times were recorded. ‘ln the Champion Threeyear old Handicap ‘Red Shadow” set a new Australian and New Zealand three-year-old 1| mile pacing record of 3.16 4*5 which is within four-fifths of a second of . "Great Bingen's” ‘New Zealand race record."

In the Midsummer Handicap "Harold •Logan" ran 4,13 2-5 for 2 miles, cutting 5 2-3 seconds off the World’s pacing record for 2 miles, previously held by "Peter 'Bingen.” In the same race “Lindbergh” : ran second in 4.18, also lowering the World's race record. This was a great performance for two horses in one race to break a World's record. I cannot recall such another instance, and New Zealand now holds the World’s pacing record over 2 miles. “Harold Logan’s” record is all the more meritorious in that it was made in a race on a 6-furlong track in a big field. At the 'Easter meeting at Addington three new records were established. “Admiral Bingen” reduced the N<*w Zealand and Australian unhoppled trotters race record to 3.18 3-5, and -the same afternoon “Red Shadow” established a World’s record for three-year-old pacers of 4.27, to be bettered an hour later by "Arethusa” going 4.24, and this filly now holds the World’s record for a three-year-old pacer over 2 miles. We look forward to the day when a twominute record will be established in New Zealand, and it appears as though it were only matter of suitable conditions obtaining for this to be achieved. APPEALS. The services of Appeal Judges were called upon only once during the season. A'tfAfr known- traiteF'Mid apealed against the Association’s refus. al to grant him a license. The Judges after u careful enquiry, were satisfied that the decision of the Association was right, and that the appellant’s application for a license had been properly refused. The appepl was therefore dismissed, The thanks of the Confer ence are due to Messrs A, T. Donnelly, W. T. Franks, and G, W. O. Smithson, for their judicial services. EXTENSION OF STEWARDS’ POWERS.

The new Rule proposed by your Executive. giving Stewards or Judicial Committees power to- fine a horseman up to £25 for a. breach of the Rules during a race, without hearing evidence other than the explanation of the horsemen, is an extension of the Rule in existence giving Stipendiary Stewards power to fine hore&men, with a limit cf £5.

The reason for bringing this forward is that so much time is often wasted under the present procedure of taking all evidence down in writing, and hear ing a number of witnesses whose testimony is often irrelevent, and of very little value to the Stewards. In my opinion, with which most of you will agree, we have been drifting in our enquiries too much in the direction of a court of law, and unduly burdening both Clubs and horsemen with protracted enquiries, which could be promptly dealt with on the spot, to' the satisfaction of both Stewards and horsemen, who will be fully protected by the clause which makes it necessary for the Judicial Committees to be un animous in their decision before they can act-, and also they must have the confirmation of the Stipendiary Stewards. If this Rule is agreed 1 to, it will ease the duties of the Judicial Committees, whose work has been growing too onerous, and will save a Sport ing Tribunal being turned into a Magistrate’s Court as it is shaping at pre sent, and at the same time will entail no hardship upon the horsemen, who will be safeguarded under the Rules if they should not be satisfied with a promrt decision. PUBLICATION OF DIVIDENDS. Racing and Trotting are still suffering from a most senseless restriction of a ban on the publication of dividends. It would be an interesting problem to speculate how far political interference can damage public sport. I adventure the opinion that sport is one of. the strongest forces against , destructive changes, and an equally valuable in fluenee in extending as widely as possible. among all classes of the community, fair opportunities for the reasonable enjoyment of this short life. A thinv is good for what it is good fn*\ and disregard of this manciple is likely to lead us into trouble, and is responsible for most of the false assumptions

of those opposed to our liberties, yet some'people would use the new law to discourage whatever tlifey disapprove. I say nothing in deenee of such betting or gambling as takes ’men and women out of their financial depth, but it is a mistake to condemn racing o-r anything else, or to insist upon farcical restrictions, on account of a bad bye product, and to forbid the publication of dividends is surely quite, the height of absurdity, serving no good purpose whatsoever, and cireumstanciug the interest and pleasure of many. CONCLUSION. I Year by year as we assemble here we seem to have Mine to our journey’s end and we have completed the work which we meet here to consider, yet each Conference and each succeeding year is only the commencement and not the end and a new era of Sport is always unfolding. We are a division of the world wide community who .love the horse, and we do our share towards providing recreation and enjoyment in horse-rac-ing under proper supervision and con trol. All of us here can join with a great lover of horses in America, named Riley, who wrote:“1 love the hoss from hoof to head, ..... From head to hoof and tail to mane; I love the hoss, as I have said, From head to fiocf and back again.” GENERAL BUSINESS. The statement of receipts and expenditure showed a credit balance of £930 and accumulated fund of £1758. Mr Greert (Gore) suggested; there was room for a considernbl reduction in levies on Clubs. Mr Nicholl replied thnt the increase in the accumulated fund had been caused by the resignation of one of the Stipendiary Stewards, Mr Reid, , who had not been replaced. So far as .a reduction of levies was concerned, Clubs could rely on receiving every consideration possible in the ’ coming season. ; , The meeting decided that the. registration of a horse must be carried out)' ? within a fortnight, instead of four ■’ weeks, prior to nomination for a meeting. - : ‘l' ' E' ■ vV' Ihat no trainer qf a horse or horses competing in a race, or his representative should ride or driye a horse other - than that trained, by-, him. r. . ;,; A return- presented \ showed that during, the' year-58 meetings were held eov- . eying 82 days:There were 651 races and the stake? jwjire;: £153,240 against £170,454Ef0r the previous. Tote investments were, £1,558,200 10s. ' In. addition, E ’’stakes for ’trotting events at egallpps were £11,064. and tote investments for these £113,461 10s. ' The ; total stakes , was £.164,304 and aggregate tote £1,671,662 10s. : ' REMITS DEALT WITH. ' WELLINGTON, July ,14. \ Rule 207 was amended t : o provide for the substitution of-'a‘rider or driver for ahorse • fengctged-'nrffi6^ J tlvan one .event at a meeting, should be approved by the stewards only if they were satisfied that there was . a good ami sufficient reason for the change. It was decided that : any unlicensed trainer who. trained a registered horse fqr a’race should-be 1 fined not. more than £OO, with the alternative of disqualification. ' ' ■.

A new rule was -approved that every horse trained by an unlicensed trainer or ridden or driven in a race by an unlicensed horseman shall be disqualified for the race.

The principle of .the Auckland remits designed to simplify the procedure atinquiries regarding fact, was affirmed, and the matter left t-o the executive to finalise.

A new rule was approved providing that after July 31 no person should act as handicapper unless licensed by the Stipendiary Steward’s Committee, and that no Club, Body or Association should employ an unlicensed handicapper or one whose license had been revoked or cancelled. .