Taranaki Jockey Club.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7827, 20 May 1905, Page 2

Taranaki Jockey Club.

SOME TLAIN SPEAKING. SUGGESTED DISBAXDMEKT. Tlic annual meeting of the Taranaki Jockey Club was held in the Chamber of Commerce rooms on Friday evening. Mr O. Samuel (President) occupied the chair, and the attendance numbered only 23 members. —Finances. — The balance-shea, read by the secretary (Mr M. Fleetwood), showed that the total credit, balance oi *2»<i4 4s (id on April 30, Jool,lml decreased to £2103 2s 2d. The expenditure included ; Insurance ■ JLVI.I 2s Id, inicrest £4l Hs 3d, starling £2H Bs, race day olliciuls £97 | lis, stakes account £2900, improve-; limits to nicicomse,' £l7 18s, ruci-; course ma,'nl.'nance £O2 (Is ."id, rate-; 1 ml rents £ll9 Cb Bd, petty cash. £23 '■« 2d, charges account £28(5 (ir,- ' eluding conference expenses £ll 11-.'. liii-,clio<iii.s £(i" 3.«5. band £3O, -Siir_dries £-18 12s), wages account £97 19s (id, printing and advertising £177 lie "id (including race cards £-10 (is, tickets £23 7s lid, sundries £lO,-> Ok lid), handicapping £BO, de-

preciation account, grandstand £BO 14s Bd, cottage £8 4s Id, lotalisator house,£lo 9s 9d, telegraph house £4 4s Id,"plant £l3 5s lid. 'Hie receipts for the year included —Nominations and acceptances £959, fines £2, lawn and grandstand £548 4s programmes and race cards' £157 17s, gates £4OO 17s, totalisator £1386 19s Bd, grazing £3B 17s 3d, privileges £l2O Bs, subscriptions £172 2s, training fees £34 ss, gentlemen riders £0 ; total £3832 9s lid.

The liabilities showed bank overdraft £826 is 7d, tho credit' bajance, ■profit and loss account,-being £2103 2s 2<l'. , t I Assots (:—Freehold £»SO 2s, plant £252 12s 2d, cottage £155 17s 7d, 'totalisator house £199 4s Ud, tele--1 graph £79 18s Bd, grandstand £1538 18s lOd, debtors £76, cash in hand I£l 9s 7d ; total £2929 3s 9d. I The expenditure on the Trainers' and Jockeys' Association provident fund was a grant of £25 to the : Egmont Club for the purchase of an ambulance for tho use of country clubs. There was a Savings Bank deposit of £22 Us 9d, and feed doposit at the bank of £636 10s 9d. ! The hon. auditors (Messrs George Gray and C." H. Weston), in their report remarked that in the assets the land was set down at an absurdly low figure, and they thought the value should be written up. At the same time the building account should be, perhaps, written down, 5 per cent, being the amount at present I allowed for depreciation. —Chairman's Address.—

Mr Samuel, in moving the adoption of the report and 'balance-sheet, jSadd that the statoment showed exactly the same state of things this year as last year. The club had been srtowly but steadily losing ground as regarded pounds, shillings ami pence, though the loss this year (£261 2s 4d) was not quite so large as for the previous- year. Members had a right to ask the outgoing commit*

mitteo for their views on this loss, .which hi time, if it continued, must , wijio out the whole of tho balance of assets. ,Thc assets of the club Consisted entirely of the increased value of land, earned by no efforts of the 1 club, but by the steady progress of the district. The only way its value affected 1 hem was that the more it was worth the niorc rates and. taxes they hud to pay on it, and the more money they could raise from the bank at a lower rate of interest ; unless I hey thoug'hs of sailing either for the puspose of winding-up or going elsewhere. At the same timo he quite agreed with the auditors that the land wns under-valued and the buildings over-valued. They had to ask themselves what class of business they were doing?, and the reasons for their position. In the first place their main receipts must come from ,'the totalisator, and the amount on the balurtCji'-shcet, £1386 19s Sri, was but a, slight increase over last year. , The stun given by the club in stakes had steadily risem to £2900, an increase of £325 last year. There was no doubt that the result of increasing year by year the amount of stakes had not been to increase their ' returns to any material extent, nor had it—he spoke with diflidenco as not being an authority on tho <pies- | tion—led to an improvement in their racing. He thought they might say jas a committee that they had made ! a mistake in increasing the stakes, and that it would not bo wise to continue tho policy above the means of the club. This £225 represented a considerable amount of their loss. I The oflicials had been vcrv largely I increased, which showed the commit- , tee had been guilty of want of economy. Tho amount spent on the racecourse, £lO9 18s sd, was-- but slightly in excess of last year, and the Course Committee could not have been more economical or efficient Continuing, Mr Samuel pointed out , other items in which ho thought tho i committee might have boon more ecoI nominal. He, as chairman, took his | Hare of the blamo. In advertising and printing he thought thty could save £6O or £7O a year, which was la considerable amount considering, the margin they had to reach in order to Keep from going backwaixls. I'er- & y ' h °, WouM im ° t0 «*e more stakes, a better class of horses at|ti acted, more encouragement to he's ,",'! d ( f" «*»™gaiico. What of the res ° te i WM °" } y an ">d« «„„? ? U was a claßs «f the «ant of economy which had charactered then* proceedings. ing the racing he thought it had been been very W the®same- as in past years. Ho had drafted a. bill which would have placed both tho club and the Agricultural Society on a more satisfactory basis, but the Dorough Council, after several meetings and discussion, would not agree to it. Ho thought the club would never do any good until they got rid of the racecourse reserve. Ihey could scarcely have more unsympathetic landlords than the Council. Koferenco was also mado bv the' Chairman to the bookruaking element and other matters. If ft were possible at some future time to get a racecourse some miles away, and become in reality the Taranaki Jockev Club instead of as now the New Plymouth Jockey Club, it would bo 'a good thing lor tho whole of the supporting, clubs of thf) district, ,\s to ihe future- management, with economical administration, the setting aside of any "small, local parish feeling,"' and the display of some backbone in the conduct of affairs, even at tho risk of offending some, the committee should succeed by and by in working up a nucleus" sufficient *. 0 tide over bad years. Mr W. L. Newman seconded (ho adoption.—Caj'i'jcd. —Elections 'Postponed.—

Mr Sumuel nominated Mr Ncwlor. King us President, but the latter declined to stand, as he could not devote the time to the position. Mi' King then moved the re-election or Mr Samuel to the position of President, which the latter had held for many years. He eulogised Mr Samuel's services.

Mr Samuel declined, explaining that he, had made up his mind to retire, from an olhcial position, a\ (.hpugh he would, continue as a number. Ho movod tho election of Mr W, h. Newman. Mr Newman declined nomination. Mr Gray considered Mr Samuel's

retirement would bo an incalculable loss to tho club. On behalf of the young members he asked tho retiring president to reconsider his decision. Mr Samuel said that since his old friends had left tho committee, tho meetings had not been very pleasant. Ho declined to stand.

Thij name ui Mr" J. J'aul (absent) was also mentioned, Inil if was explained that he would no! stand. Mr F, Watson suggested that as no one would stand, it might be «is well to wind up the affairs of the club. It seemed to him under the circumstances the best course to take wag to "wipe out tho. thing altogether-." Ho did np(, know whether it wtis in order to move that, Mr- Samuel said that it would not be right to spring such a resolution on the club without notice, especially in view of the small attendance. He did not know how the other members felt, lSut he would be very sorry for tho sake of Tarauaki to sea the club wound up. It was one of the few metropolian clubs, und hafj a high standing a(. \\\c present tjmp.

Mr Wutson : And yot we can't gel officers.. Mr Samuel : Oh, yen, we can. Mf Watson : I don't want to press tho motion, but all th u senior members have declined oll'*\

After further discussion it was- doCidod on the motion of Mcssis Sole and Newton King to adjourn the meeting to Juno 2, in order to get a full attendance^.