64

ex officio and one representative of each metropolitan district. The executive of the New Zealand Trotting Conference is an association called the New Zealand Trotting Association. It is composed of ten members, six of whom must be bona fide residents of the South Island and four of the North Island. No criticism was addressed to the constitution, powers, nor yet to any proceeding of either executive body, and we ourselves can see nothing affecting or concerning them which calls for comment by us. JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS 157. A diversity in practice has developed between the two forms of horse-racing with respect to the control of the actual racing. At meetings conducted by racing clubs the control is vested in stewards appointed by the club. These stewards are all honorary. They are assisted in various respects by stipendiary stewards, but the functions of the latter are circumscribed and are limited, broadly speaking, to the making of representations to the appropriate committee of the club. They never exercise judicial functions. . Those functions are vested in a specially constituted committee of the club. 158. On the other hand, the Trotting Conference on the Ist March, 1946, introduced a new system which has the unqualified support of owners, trainers, drivers, breeders, and club officials. It may also be inferred that it has, to the present, commanded the confidence of the racing public, for no complaint has been made concerning it from any quarter since its introduction. The system is based entirely upon stipendiary control. Stipendiary stewards are appointed by the Trotting Association and operate under a stipendiary stewards' committee constituted of the president of the Conference, the executive of the Conference, the president of the Trotting Association, and one member of the association appointed by the association. Stipendiary stewards are appointed by the stipendiary stewards' committee. The stipendiary stewards are aided and reinforced by a steward appointed by each club promoting the meeting; the latter ranks as a stipendiary steward at the meeting. The stipendiaries have complete control of all racing at the meeting and of all matters arising out of the meeting in so far as those matters are initiated or are disposed of on the day of the meeting. Matters arising after the day's meeting remain subject to the, exclusive jurisdiction of the association. 159. The fundamental objection to the system is that the stipendiary stewards officiating at any meeting are at one and the same time informants, prosecutors, and judges. In favour of the system it is claimed that the stipendiary stewards are chosen for their experience and knowledge of the sport and that administration by men