LOSS ON YEAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 September 1938, Page 9

LOSS ON YEAR

' WAIRARAPA TROTTING CLUB ACTIVITIES EFFECT OF COUNTERATTRACTIONS. HEAVY BURDEN OF TAXATION. (“Times-Age” Special.) Mr J. F. Thompson was elected president of the Wairarapa Trotting Club for the twenty-first successive year at the annual meeting, held last night at Greytown. Counter-attractions on the second day of the February meeting and heavy Government taxation resulted in a loss on the year’s working of £3OO, but even so members took an optimistic view of the future and a committee was set up to consider ways and means of augmenting the finances of the club. Mr Thompson, who presided over a good attendance of members, said that the short story was that on the second day of the February meeting there was simply not sufficient population in the Wairarapa to go round the various forms of entertainment offering. The first day had been most successful, but the second day had resulted in a substantial loss. At the same time the club had been responsible for bringing in the best type of trotter yet seen in action in the Wairarapa. They had been favoured by Ministerial patronage for the first time for some years, the Hon P. C. Webb presenting the trophies. Mr Webb had subsequently written expressing his sincere appreciation of his hospitable treatment. After referring to the los?. suffered by the club in the deaths of the late Messrs Hugh Morison and A. B. Balfour, Mr Thompson said that the club had been in grave danger of being included in a no-licence area. Fortunately, the difficulty had been overcome and “our thirst or our maner of quenching it remained the same.” Touching on the financial position of the club, Mr Thompson said that the income from all sources for the year totalled £2,981 4s Bd. Apart from Government taxation, the outgoings for the year amounted to £2,613 13s 6d, leaving a profit of £367 11s 2d. Taxation amounting to £667 11s 2d, however, had resulted in the club making a loss of £3OO. To meet the taxation demand it had been necessary to dip into the capital account. The result emphasised the grossly exaggerated taxation that clubs had to bear. For most country clubs, the burden was almost ruinous. Unfortunately, there was little hope of any relief in that direction. All governments had found racing taxation easy to recover. Indirect taxation —that was not direct from the racegoer—raised little comment. Taxation was an insidiuous problem that would have to be faced. The net result of the year’s working, Mr Thompson continued, was that the Government received £667 16s 2d, the owners £1,703 3s 2d, the patrons two good days of sport and the club was left to carry the deficit of £3OO. That might sound discouraging but the Stewards and officials had given long thought and consideration for years to the problem of putting the club on a sound footing. While regretting that the club had come out on the wrong side, Mr F. W. Smith said it was due to no fault of the officials. The secretary, Mr H. Mortenson, said the loss came back to the increase in stakes. That, however, had been necessary in order’ to attract the best type of horse; As the result of counter attractions, the gate receipts on the;second day had shown a decrease of £lOO on the first day. If they could not get the public they could not make ends meet. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: Patron, the Hon A. D. McLeod; president, Mr J. F. Thompson; vice-presidents, Messrs W. Howard Booth, F. C. Bunny, J. C. Harp, A. W. Horton, J. A. McDougall, G. McKenzie, F. W. Smith, G. A. Vincent; clerk of scales, Mr Ben Sewell; clerk of course, Mr T. C. Udy; hon timekeepers, Messrs H. Keltie, A. O. Abbott, E. Matson, G. McKenzie; hon starter, Mr R. R. Tilson; assistant-star-ter, Mr T. McKenzie; hon judge, Mr F. C. Bunny; assistant judge, Mr F. W. Smith; hon surgeons, Drs H. B. Berney, G. S. Sharp, R. Campbell and A. C. Oakey; hon veterinary surgeon, Mr S. Fletcher; judicial committee, Messrs J. F. Thompson, W. Howard Booth, A. O. Abbott, F. W. Smith, G. A. Vincent; stewards, Messrs A. O. Abbot, L. Barber, R. W. Beu, H. J. Brown, W. J. Fitzgerald, R. Gallon, J. McNamara, T. McKenzie, E. Rayner, J. E. Raison, Ben Sewell, J. C. Skeet, R. R. Tilson, Jas Wilson; hon auditor, Mr H. A. McPhee; hon treasurer, Mr G. A. Vincent; secretary, Mr H. Mortenson. Tributes were paid to the services rendered to the club by Mr Thompson over a long period of years and a mem- ■ ber stated that he deserved the sincere thanks of the club and the trotting fraternity in the Wairarapa for his con- . tinned up-hill fight. Mr Thompson thanked the Stewards, officials and members for their support and loyalty during the year. It was decided to send a letter of sympathy to Mr D. P. Loasby, a foundation member, and the Hon A. D. McLeod in their illness and expressing the hope that they would have speedy recoveries. Congratulations are to be extended to the Greytown Football Club, which ■ this season celebrates its diamond jubilee. As the result of a suggestion by the secretary a committee, consisting of Messrs Abbott, Brown, McKenzie, Sewell, Wilson and Vincent, was set up to consider ways and means of augmenting the finances of the club and to report on a proposal to apply for permission to organise an art union. A grant of £6 6s was made to the Wairarapa P. and A. Society for the use of loose boxes and another of £2 2s to the Working Men’s Club for the use of a room for meetings.