PRESENTATION TO MR F. R. JACKSON.

Patea Mail, 19 March 1881, Page 4

PRESENTATION TO MR F. R. JACKSON.

The Wanganui Herald says—The testimonial subscribed for by the members of the Wanganui Jockey Club and a few friends was presented to Mr Jackson at the Pier Hotel on Monday evening. The attendance numbered about 60, Mr H. S. Harrison, President of the Club, in the chair. The testimonial, consisting of a very handsome silver epergne, two side dishes, and half-a-dozen salts, also of silver, was displayed on a table in the room. All the articles were marked with Mr Jackson’s family crest, and the base of the epergne bore the inscription of “ Presented to F. P. Jackson, Esq., in recognition of his services as Honorary Secretary of the Wanganui Jockey Club, 1881.” In the course of his reply to the remarks made by Mr Harrison in making the presentation, Mr Jackson said he felt he was placed in a painful position. He had always been at a loss to address any public assemblage, but more particularly one like the present. He was not gifted with the ability of public speaking, especially when being lionized in the way he had been that evening. He would, however, thank the Chairman very heartily for the very kind manner in which he had made the presentation, and although he felt a difficulty in finding words to express all he felt, he knew they would understand what he meant when he said that be thanked them from the bottom of his heart. (Loud cheers.) He had drawn up a few statistics on Club matters, which he thought would be interesting to both old and new members. Up to 1872, owing to the presence of the military, the races were fairly successful, but after that time they fell off, and the future was very gloomy. In December 1874 he was asked to take the secretaryship, and after some hesitation he consented, and in February 1875 the first meeting was held under the new regime. There were no bookmakers then, no touts, and he very much questioned whether they had any stop watches. In those days they were not very particular whether the mile-and-a-half was done in 2.50 or 6.50, so long as the horses got round. (Laughter.) Every owner went for the stakes, and he had heard of a cart horse race, owners up. Time was the great object now, and horses had to satisfy the watch or they were no good. In their first meeting of 1875 they gave away stakes to the value of £457. Their entries came to £lB2, the privileges to £lB7, and their principal handicap was worth £OS. The history of the Jockey Club was traced up until 1880. The total value of stakes paid away since 1875 amounted to £0554, and £3llß had been spent on permanent improvements of the course. The total amount of money that had gone through

liis hands since he took office was £14,654, and in concluding that part of his address Mr Jackson thought the figures shewed that there had been great progress made by the Club, which had risen to a position that, taking into consideration the size of the place and the complete arrangements for carrying out the programme, was second to none in the colony.