SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1919, Page 5

SPORTING.

TROTTING. The annual report of the New Zealand Trotting Association, submitted to Friday's meeting, stated that after the signing of the armistice, and when the season was welf advanced, the Cabinet granted restitution of days of racing that had been curtailed under the Government reduction scheme. 1 This allowed all but a few of the clubs to race again on a pre-war basis. "I feel that iu a short time to come tho sport of trotting will bo such that, considering the phenomenal strides it is making, and that it is increasing daily in popularity, the trotting authorities will be forced ,to find some way of obtaining more facilities from the Government," said the chairman (Mr. Rowe). "It appears ridiculous that there are only 37 licenses issued to trotting clubs; that there are only 25 clubs throughout the Dominion; that the club in the capital city is allowed one; that the large and properous districts of the Manawatu and Waikato, the provinces of Taranaki, Nelson and Marlborough, have only one each; and that in Hawkc's Bay and Invercargill there are none at all. I maintain that in eases where clubs are granted only one license they should be allowed at least one more. ' The position is made particularly difficult by the fact that our opponents were endenvormg to USB tho war crisis to effect an object which they have in peaco times so consistently desired, but have failed to accomplish. There can he no denying the fact that there are in our midst restless, ill-informed people who do not tail to take every opportunity to promote their Utopian fads. (Applause). ° advance trotting has made during the past few years, to my mind clearly proves that the appointment of stipendiary officials has been not the least important recommendation adopted by the conference. As you will see, in the order-paper, the governing body will bring forward a proposal which aims at making distance handicapping universal and compulsory. The question of the distance to ,be allowed for a second tho Association has evidently left over for consideration, as probably tho basis of u y a ™ a per second might not meet all cases but whatever the allowance may be, it must be uniform, otherwise it Would lead to interminable confusion. ny_ system of starting which tends to eliminate prospective complaints, inquiries, lines' and disqualifications, should be acceptable tr. every wellwisher of the sport. After carefully noting the results attained from various methods of starting. I unhesitatingly affirm that the yards system is tho fairest."