POVERTY BAY TURF CLUB.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1139, 5 September 1882, Page 2

POVERTY BAY TURF CLUB.

In accordance with the advertisement the annual general meeting of the above Club took place at the Albion Club Hotel last evening. The business was to receive the Report of the Coir nit tee, and the Election of a Committee fo_' t ie e sui ,g year. There was a ve y large number of members present. Captain Winter occupied the chair. Captain Fen Is was called upon and then read the fol’owing report:— Poverty’ Bay Turf Club.—Second An-

nual Report. Mr President, Vice-President, and Gentlemen, — In presenting their second annual report, your Committee have great pleasure m being in a position to place before you such a satisfactory balance-sheet, showing, as it does, a credit balance of £306 18s 9d. The Club consists of 40 members, and every subscription has been paid, which must be considered satisfactory. It will be gratifying to the members to hear that the deficit in the 1880 season, amounting to £BO 6d, has been paid up. The amount paid away in stages was £403 15s 6d, being the greatest amount hitherto paid in this district. The amount received for entries, nominations, etc., was £2BO 6s, being slightly less than last year. The sate of privileges realised the handsome sum of £206 15s 3d. The sum of £7O 5s was taken at the Grand Stand gates, as against £44 last year, and from the Totalisator we received £34 6s p.s against £8 5s last year, aud members’ subscriptions £lB9. The following members of the Committee retire by rotation this year, viz., Messrs Winter, Ward, aud Caulton ; it will be your duty to elect three to replace them. Geo. Winter, Chairman of Committee. The report was received and adopted. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. The balance-sheet was read and adopted, showing a balance to the credit of the club of £306 odd. After this was done Captain Winter vacated the chair when Major Pitt took his place. Mr E. W. Mills wished to ask the Secretary why he had shifted the locality of the meeting. He was in favor of renting a private room for the purpose of holding Club or Committee meetings, always having in view the necessity of avoiding unnecessary expense. Captain Ferris said in reply, that in shifting the locality of the room in which the meetings were to be held, that lie had done so with a view to the necessity of getting as many members as possible, aud he had made a distinct promise to Mr Wilson, that thia meeting should be hold in his house. He had taken the responsibility on himself, and was bound to stick to it. Mr S. Stevenson objected. Major Pitt knew nothing of the. matter until he saw it in the papers and heard from Captain Ferris that he had made a promise and he would bear him out in carrying out such promise. The committee had carelessly left the matter in the Secretary’s hands, and there were was nothing to prevent the sqq* retary acting discretionally. Mr Dufaur objected to the Committee ing blamed. He would support the Secretary in carrying out his promise. Major Pitt still held Ins opinion. Mr Milla ridicued the idea of the Club being frightened into any course by the threat of resignation on the part of any individual. The Secretary’s action had placed the club in a false position. Mr Dufaur said he thought Captain Ferris was in duty bound to keep his promise, and the club were bound cy his action. Mr M. McDonald disagreed with Captain Ferris’s action, and Mr Dufaur’s opinion but would support Mr Mills in his idea regard, ing the leasing of a room. Mr Eiassey thought this was ultra vires and that it wr. j a question for the Committee to consider. Mr McDonald was of a different opinion. Mr Brassey proposed that a Committee be appointed to consider the question which was simply a matter of detail. Mr M\ H. Smith seconded the motion. Mr McDonald moved as an amendment, that the matter be put to a general vote. Mr A. Pritchard seconded the amendment. The amendment was put and lost. The matter of Murtagh’s disqualification was brought forward. Mr ZSlills moved that the action of the Hawke’s Bay Club in the matter be endorsed. Mr McDonald said this was a matter for the committee. Mr Brassey supported this view.

The meeting adopted Mr McDonald’s view of the matter, which was thoroughly supported by the rules of the Chib. This wound up the business of the meeting, and the Committee assumed the reins. Mr Brassey expressed an opinion that the member of the Club should attend a meeting called by its committee without reference to the place where such a meeting was held. On a show of hands 7 was for the amendment and 8 against. Mr Brassey’s motion was, therefore, declared carried. Mr McDonald suggested that the £5 5s subscription was too high, and would lead to resignation of members; £3 3s would meet the object. The restriction would probably tend to doubling the amount as a total. He would propose the reduction of the subsorlption from £5 5s to £3 3s. After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting was adjourned.