A GOOD YEAR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 224, 21 August 1937, Page 14

A GOOD YEAR

WOODVILLE JOCKEY CLUB. THE ANNUAL MEETING. There was a good attendance at the annual meeting of the Woodville District Jockey Club, which was held last evening. The president, Mr M. 0Grainger, was in the chair. Introducing the report and balancesheet (already published), the president remarked thq/t they were very satisfactory anrd he did not think the position of the club required much comment. A voice: Except that we made too much money. The president: I think we will be able to stand censure like that. Mr Rr G. Smith asked the president if the issuing of complimentary tickets bad affected the balance-sheet. The president did not think they had done any harm. They were to the advantage of the club. The report and halanco-sheot were then adopted on the motion of Mr Smith, seconded by Mr W. Hi Gaisford. OFFICERS ELECTED. Tho following officers were declared elected, there being but one nomination for each position: —President, Mr Grainger (re-elected); vice-president, Mr W. H. Gaisford (re-elect-ed); treasurer, Mr J. Elder (re-elected). Mr W. Dobson, F.P.A., N.Z., was appointed auditor. For four stewards’ positions there had beep five nominations and Messrs \V. H. Brotherstone, G. B. De Ath G. H. Morgan and G. Peebles were declared elected, Mr Peebles securing the greatest number of votes. Mr R. Bly was the other candidate. The president thanked the members for re-electing him. He said he felt gratified that he had been re-appoint-ed—even though it was an "easy way of gaining office” to he returned unopposed. Mr Gaisford also returned thanks, as did each of the other officers. Mr Peebles said he had been very sorry to see Mr Bly leaving the club’s band of stewards. He had been an exceptionally conscientious steward and had given a great deal of work to the welfare of the club.

Responding, Mr Bly said he had had 20 years as a steward, and he thought he had had “a very good turn.” He had done his bit for the club during his term of office. The president proposed a yote of thanks to the Press, which, lie said, had always supported the club admirably: to the Woodvillo Borough Council, for the use of.the Council Chambers; the caretaker, to whom the grounds were a credit as the result of his excellent work; Mr G. Peebles, who as a steward was the oldest servant of the club; and to all, officers and others, who had assisted the club. The motion was carried with acclamation.

RETIRING HANDI CAPPER. Reference was made to the retirement of Mr J. E. Henrys, the chibs liandicapper, whose resignation had come before the stewards previously. The chairman said he very much regretted the retirement of Mr Henrys. He was one of the oldest servants of the club and one of the best handicappers south of the Line. A letter from Mr F. Armstrong was read, in which he said that the club’s members must feel that its affairs were very satisfactory indeed. Mr Armstrong paid a tribute to the president’s report, which was concise, but which covered all the nocessary ground. It afforded the writer extreme pleasure, as an ownor of horses handicapped under Mr Henrys for over 45 years, to be able to say that in his humble opinion Mr Henrys had been greater in his capacity of handicapping horses than Admiral Rous had been to England. The president moved a vote of thanks to Mr Henrys and, in seconding it, Mr Gaisford said Mr Henrys had a wonderful record. He had commenced handicapping, for the Fctiding Club, 50 years ago uext year, and his work there had very soon been recognised by other clubs. Mr Henrys had shown the speaker a list of the clubs for which he had handicapped during the year, and it had been a very imposing list indeed. He had been an excellent man in liis job, the work having been very much above the average. It had been beyond suspicion, without any bias, and one never, heard any word of favouritism. Naturally, there bad been some who had not been satisfied, but that was only to be expected. The number of clubs' which had recognised Mr Heniys as a handicapper was positive proof of the value of his work. The motion was then put to the meeting and carried.

TRIBUTE TO MR BUY. In proposing a special vote of thanks to Mr Bly, the president said that gentleman had been a steward for 20 years and his value as chairman of the grounds committee was to be seen in the grounds, which spoke for themselves. Mr Bly had made the farm account an excellent one. He had taken the club into the fat lamb trade and had, better still, taken it into the bank account. Therefore he deserved the club’s very best thanks. The nfttion was carried. When i-eplying, Mr Bly said he had' been chairman of the grounds committee for 11 years, and on only one occasion had the administration, from a financial point of view, not been a success. There had been 100 ewes on the ground when he had first taken control, and with one thing and another, farming in the best way possible, there were now more like 200. His interests would always be with the club. A vote of thanks was also accorded the club’s former auditor (Mr W. Bendftll) and on Mr Gaisford’s proposal another motion was carried recording the members’ thanks to the president. Mr Smith, endorsing the previous speaker’s remarks, said the president was the best man he had served under in the club. Messrs T. Luxton (Akitio), L. A. Daniels (Dannevirke) and G. O’Rourke (Paliiatua) were new members elected. Mr D. Peebles suggested that the time had arrived when the stewards should consider "the question of providing a car paddock for members. The chairman said it would not be easy to provide, but the meeting adopted as a recommendation to the incoming committee that the question of a members’ car paddock be considered. Mr F. S. H. Bolton queried whether the dust nuisance on the roadway in the vicinity of the course could be lessened, and the president promised that the stewards would see what could be done about it.