TROTTER’S GOOD YEAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 95, 13 July 1927, Page 7

TROTTER’S GOOD YEAR

REVEIW BY PRESIDENT Mr. H. F. Nicoll, president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, presented his annual address to the delegates at Wellington to-day. Appended are some of the chief questions dealt with. EXPRESSIONS OF REGRET “Since our last meeting we have to i egret the loss of two of our members, Sir James Carroll and Mr. F. g! Edwards. Sir James Carroll represented the interests of the Poverty Bay Trotting Club, and in the earlier days of trotting, when Colonial Secretary, he attended some of the conferences. His advice and influence were of much assistance to the governors of the sport in those times, and the sport of trotting lias lost a trusty friend and counsellor. The sudden death of Mr. F. G. Edwards, who represented the Nelson Trotting Club, was a shock to many sportsmen. For many years he had been associated with both branches of the sport in Nelson, and will be missed in that district. His death, and that of Mr. Fred Edwards, the well-known liandicapper, occurred within a few weeks of each other. By the passing of Mr. Fred Edwards the North Island clubs lost a very capable handicapper, and we shall all miss his genial presence at the meetings he used to attend. Another well-known sportsman who passed away during the year was Mr. J. C. N. Grigg, of Longbeach. We also have to mourn the passing of the late editor of the “New Zealand Referee,” Mr. J. R. Olliver. During the whole of his long and honourable career as a journalist he won the respect and esteem of all sportsmen, and his demise last month will be widely felt.

“Word of another serious loss has just come to hand. I refer to the death of Mr. C. F. Mark, secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club, and member of the New Zealand Trotting Association. The passing away of Mr. Mark will be felt not only by his club, but by all who follow trotting. An energetic and capable secretary, a sincere friend, and a tower of strength to the sport, we all mourn his loss, and shall miss his company. NEW TROTTING CLUBS “We are pleased to see the representative of the Cheviot Trotting Club with us to-day, and welcome him to the conference, and hope that his club will prosper. “The Metliven Trotting Club, which was registered last month, proposes to hold its first meeting in the coming season, when it will become a trotting club entitled to use the totalisator. “We have applications for further totalisator permits from the Hawke’s Bar, Taranaki, and Northland Trotting Clubs. The need for further permits is recognised by this conference, and your executive is keeping this matter steadily in mind. The claims of the clubs mentioned are most convincing, and will receive every consideration when any permits become available. CLUBS CHANGING CONSTITUTION “The Poverty Bay and Wanganui Trotting Clubs have written advising that they have decided to turn over to racing, and asking the conference to agree with their decision. \ our executive, whilst we would like to reciprocate for the Cheviot and Methven nerraits, find that the conditions are so dissimilar that they must be considered quite apart from the cases mentioned, and whilst we maj not have the power to veto such a turn over vet in view of the shortage oi trotting permits in the dominion cannot agree to forego any ot those we hold. FREE-FOR-ALL RACES •It is to be regretted that free-for-all races have not recently proved in success tliev should do. borne clubs have reluctantly decided not to include such races in their future programmes Free - for-alls a re always popular 'v'th the public, and offer a great attraction to the lovers of good horses, who w e l lome a variation from the usual proIta C ke S r offe n red t for Isuch 1 such made

sufficiently attractive, yet the clubs found that they were a severe strain upon their finance. Clubs recognise ! that the totalisator revenue should not | be the sole consideration, and the best horses deserve all the encouragement | possible, but with their present finan- | cial position clubs cannot afford to continue running the free-for-alls at ! a loss. PROVIDENT FUND | “Among the notices of motion to-day lis one affecting the rule determining | what the annual fees payable for trainers’, riders’, and drivers’ licences ! shall be. It is now proposed that J such shall be increased from 10s to J -Cl, 10s to be paid as in the past to I the Trotting Assoliation, and the other j 10s to be paid into the Provident Fund, j The annual income of the fund is dei pendent upon a contribution fee of £1 payable by each owner of a horse at time of registration. The balance sheet of the fund, which is submitted to you as usual, shows that the total assets amount to not quite £5,000. This money is held in trust for the relief of trainers and horsemen who become disabled by illness, or who are in destitute circumstances, or for the relief of any of their relatives. During the year 20 claims w r ere paid in cases of accident, and three others were made by the relatives of trainers who have died. Nearly one-fifth of the total fund was expended on these claims, which shows how* much the trustees are limited in dealing with really necessitous cases. It was recommended at a previous conference that the trustees should be authorised to pay compensation as far as the law allowed, and that the fund should be built up as strongly as possible, so that there should be no doubt about the payment of any legitimate claim. CONTROL OF THE SPORT “Amongst the alterations and additions to rules proposed on the order paper before you ore some of particular importance concerning the stricter control of the sport. It is, of course, impossible to erect safeguards that will make any sport or any business entirely free from misbehaviour. It should always be remembered that horses are not machines. Small accidents and circumstances happen in a race that are not seen, and which alter the whole running of a race, and it does not follow that because a horseman is not placed one day, and runs prominently on another, that he has done anything discreditable, and I believe that at the present moment our sport is represented by as straightforward a body of owners and trainers as will be found in any representative body of men in any other sport or calling, and that our sport has never been so free from reproach or malpractices as it is to-day. GOOD WORK BY STIPENDIARY STEWARDS “Whilst on this subject I would mention the good work carried out by our stipendiary stewards during the past 12 months. Their supervision has been generally satisfactory to your stipendiary stewards’ committee, and though there has been one or two occasions when, in the latter s’ view, stronger action should have been taken, yet it is impossible for any man on all occasions to do the right thing, and it must be recognised that our stipendiaries have onerous duties as tvell as great responsibilities on their shoulders, and it is indispensible that honorary stewards should assist them by co-operating in the supervision of the: racing and by giving them every facility for the carrying out of their duties. Nothing is easier than to blame the authorities because they have not done the absolutely impossible, but one of the great needs in all sports is for people to act as leaders in their own spheres, and to have responsibility for dealing with the problems in their own districts. STARTING OF RACES “In the hands of capable starters, this important item has further improved during the past season, and it has been a pleasure to watch the big fields moving off their marks in serried order with a minimum of confusion or delay, and whilst we hear of many complaints from owners and trainers from those countries where the movingup start still survives, it is undoubted that the decision of this conference in 1926 to make all starts from a stand has proved to be fully justified, and the only method of satisfactorily dealing with the big fields which many of our clubs now have to handle. RACECOURSE INSPECTORS “These officials continue to give every satisfaction. The conduct on our racecourses throughout the Dominion is a credit to their good work and unobtrusive competence. .p ur racecourses are a revelation to visitors who are not regular racegoers, and at every metropolitan meeting one hears comments, not only upon the orderliness of the big attendances, but also upon the general air of well-being and cheerful interest in all their surroundings that pervades both the outside and inside enclosures. GAMING LEGISLATION “The Gaming Amendment Bill brought down by Sir George Hunter this session is a simple one of three sections, the first restoring the right to wire investments to secretaries of clubs, the second rescinding that most absurd prohibition of the publication of dividends, and the third authorising a double totalisator. We claim, With a knowledge of what we speak, that this bill will not increase gambling one iota, that if the money could not be telegraphed to the secretaries of the clubs it would be invested with the bookmakers. Section 3 will bay e little effect, as probably only a few clubs will instal a double event totalisatoi, and the result would be the same as in section 1. Those who desire to invest on a double event would do so with the clubs instead of with the bookmakers. Our critics, in opposing the bill, are merely supporting the bookmakers. Section 2, regarding the publication ot dividends, would restore a right which should never hare been revoked, and New Zealand is the onlv country in the world where such a law is in existence. CONCLUSION

“Onlv by Working together for the common benefit can we expect to maintain our growing and expanding sport in the confidence of the public, whose goodwill and helping hand aie essential to our success. Our pro-m-ets during the last 20 years has beep phenomenal, and we can have every confidence in counting upon a steady growth in the future. To-day appears to be a time of doubt and depression throughout the world, which is reflected in a lesser degree in our own Dominion. Yet wh y should we be downhearted? There comes a time to every man and to all people when the present looks dark, ana the future requires courage to face, but with such a young nation as is New Zealand, with our great natural wealth, and with our virile population, the tide will turn in our favour again, and we are surely on the eve of an era of prosperity which will carry us on to a new level of welfare.