The annual meeting of the Shanghai Paper Hunt Club was held on Thursday evening at the Grand Stand of the Shanghai Race Club. Mr. 5. G. Perrott, the Master of the S. P. H. C. was in the chair, and there was a large attendance.
The Chairman, in_ moving the adoption of the accounts said:—Gentlemen, the accounts for the season 1899-1900 will be passed round for your inspection while I make a few remarks upon the past season. When I had the pleasure of addressing you at our annual meeting last year, it was my pleasing duty to review one of the best seasons the Club has ever had, but to-day I regret to say my report is nots satisfactory, owing to the bad state of the country, caused by continual rain, which set in before Christmas and continued more or less to the end of the season, We managed under great difficulty to bring off nine paper hunts, one point-to-point steeplechase, the annual hunt handicap, and the race meeting on the course, for which we were lucky in having a fine day and a large number of spectators, The races were keenly contested and passed off successful, but I must express my regret at not seeing larger fields contesting for the different events, as your Stewards are put to great trouble in arranging and carrying out these races, and think members ought to support them better, by not only entering their ponies mre freely, but also by sending them out to fac- the starter. It is a wood opportunity for coming jockeys to learn something about racing, and as we give three prizes for most ut the events, they have a goud chance of winning a cup, even if they do not come in Grst. The Challenge Cup was won by Mr. C..R. Burkill on Clyde. Watch, who won it the previous season, was unfortunate in not winning a hunt, so was not qualified to compete. The thanks of the Club are due to the Stewards of the Race Club for allowing us the use of the course and for their valuable assistance at our race meeting; also to Mr. and Mrs. Ayscough for giving two caps, which it was decided to compete for in the Christmas Hunt, and for which Mr. Hogg kindly allowed us to cut a finishing jump in his garden at Jessfield, but owing to the bad state of the weather, it had to be postponed, and it was not until the last hunt of the season that a favourable opportunity occurred, when we finished at the Waterworks, where Mr. and Mrs. Wood hospitally entertained us, and Mrs. Ayscough kindly presented the cups to the winners. As regards the accounts, which Thope you have all studied carefully, you will notice that we bean the season with a debit balance of $75.90 and closed with a debit balance of $230.52. The race meet ing expenses were rather heavy, and your Stewards were too liberal in increasing the value of the prizes, in the hopes of inducing larger entries, but these did not come up to our expectations, and if we have a race meeting this season, the incoming Stewards will have to be more careful when making up the programme. There is one more thing I want to draw your attention to before sitting down, and that is, if any member wins a hunt, and has to apply to the Stewards to help him in laying one it would be " great convenience if he applied on Saturday evening and hot wait until the middle of the next week. Thave no doubt you all know that it is not an easy thing to lay a good hunt without taking some trouble over it, even if you do know the country, and as reeds often have to be cut, the finishing jump improved, ete., you can understand how important it is that the Stewards get early notice. Everything is in good working order for the coming season, and Mr. Crawford, who has been a capital Hon. Secretary for some years, has consented, if elected a Steward, to serra again, and have no doubt if the elements are kind to us, we shall have a good season. If any gentleman wishes to ask any questions about the accounts, I will do my best to answer them, I beg to propose—That the accounts as presented be accepted and passed.
Mr. F. A. Cumming seconded, and the resoltition was carried nem. con.
The election of Stewards for the forthcoming season was then proceeded with, resulting in the election of Messrs. E. S. Perrott, F. A. Cumming, L. Midwood, D. W. Crawford, F. Ellis, 8. W. Pratt, and W. Scott.
'A general discussion ensued upon several points of interest. Mr. S. H. Shorrock suggested that the Stewards might take into consideration, as far as possible, the convenience of the public when fixing the finishes, a matter which the Chairman said, rested more or less with the layer of the hunt. Mr. H. Sampson proposed that, in order to wipe out the debit balance, the subscription should be raised to $10,'a suggestion which was not supported and dropped in favour of a resolution proposed by Mr. L. Midwood and seconded by Mr. A. W. Burkill, raising the season's entrance-fee for each pony from $1 to $2.
The Chairman then brought forward the subject of the Cross Country Riding Fund.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.