THE ANNUAL MEETING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 394, 17 August 1889, Page 6

THE ANNUAL MEETING.

I should like to have seen a better attendance of members at the Auckland Racing Club annual meeting on Monday. Itis not well to see such lukewarmness exhibited on an occasion of the kind, but ib has ever been the • invariable rule here, which one cannot but regret. The statement of accounts put before the meeting showed a profit of £1,190 on the year's transactions/ There was a profit of £476 14s lOd over the Spring Meeting; £1,816 19s 7d over the Summer Meeting, and £44 Is over the Winter Meeting, but the Aucumn Meeting showed a loss of £100 6s 4d. Among the receipts, the totalisator brought to the exchequer £3,584 8s lid ; nominations, £1,568 ; sweepstakes, £968 ; gates, £1,236 8d ; grand stand, £1,110 10s ; sale of booths, cards, etc., £1,235 12s 6d ; sale of winners, £112: being a total of £10,114 19s sd, while the amount paid away in stakes , totted up to £6,718. The balance sheet still shows that ugly mortgage of ' £11,778, which should ever be sufficient for those who manage the institution not to act with rashness in the business concerns of the Club. Those present were not slow in speaking of the way the Club are treated by the Railway Department, who raise ( the fare on race-days to 13 6d, irrespective of class, while on ordinary days the fare is Sd. This has always been a great drawback, and as Mr A. K. Taylor justly remarked, " every legitimate means should be used by the Club to endeavour to get the Government to bring about an alteration in this state of affairs." The members of the Club have good reason to thank Messrs L. D. Nathan, J. Dickey, J. Kirkwood, and J. M. Clark for the great amount of time they devobe to the institution, to say nothing of their personal guarantees, and there will be regret to hear that the last-named gentleman will shortly be missing from the number, business affairs taking him to London, where he is likely .to remain for a .considerable period. ;