RETURNED ATHLETES

AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL AND BOXING. SOME INTERVIEWS. f A feature of present day sport Is the wide field of travel open to the "star"players. A proof of tbis was afforded by the passenger list of the Warrimoo, which vessel reached Wellington from. Sydney to-day. On it were the names of numerous athletes, for football in, various branches, besides boxing, was represented, and in tie case of at feast one of them, the trip from Sydney was a quite insignificant part of his and hia team's travels. The Wellington and Christchurch members of the New Zealand team that took part in the Jubilee Tournament under the Australian Footi ball Code, were on board ; the New Zealand Rugby Union's representative (Mr. H. W. Kelly), who travelled Australia, with the British Rugby footballers, came back by the eanio vessel, and so did Dr. M'Evedy, a member of the Brit* ish team, who has made up his mind to begin the practice of his profession in New Zealand, after he has spent a* month or two with his people in Christ 1 * church. The New Zealand boxing re-> presentatives at the Australasian chami pionship meeting also reached Wellington by the Warrimoo, accompanied bj; several well-known Wellingtonians, who are followers of sport in all ita branches, and who have been in Australia for the past six weeks. THE ANGLO-WELSH TEAM'S DOINGS. Dr. M'Evedy, in a conversation with! a reporter of The Post, said that tha football of Australia was not of as' good a quality as New Zealand's, and in his opinion tha British team should nob have lost a match there. Their first deleat (by Western Districts, N.5.W.),. was a great surprise, and it was in w large degree attributable to extreme stiffiness, caused by long rides on horseback undertaken by some members of tha team, who had scarcely been in ' a saddle before. As for the match la which New Soutn Wales beat them by, 6 to 3, the general opinion was that; Britain should have won very comforti ably had they got all they were entitled to. New South Wales were only once in Britain's twenty-fives during the first spell, but they scored on that occasion.! The whole trip was very enjoyable, but' they had bad luck in losing their cap* tain's services after the first match ml Sydney, in consequence of bis having broken the fibula of his leg. Harding was unable to leave with the team when, it sailed for Great Britain, but he got away last Saturday, by the Orotava, from Sydney. Quite a number of acci^ dents bef el members of the team, include ing a broken rib sustained by Green, and a broken collarbone by M'Evedy, oa the occasion of the last match in Queensland. Mr. H. W. Kelly said that as touring representative of the New Zealand • Union ne occupied a neutral position, and 1 therefore he would have to refrain from, criticism of either British or Australian teams. The trip had been enjoyable, and from £1700 to £1800 was cleared in New South Wales. In Queensland thera was a loss, but this would fall upon tha Queensland Rugby Union, which had undertaken the financial control of the* tour in that State. The loss was occa-, sioned partly because of the lateness oft the season, and partly because of the distaste for football caused in a wide circle by the experiences in connection with the professional football games played there, and the incidents reported by cablegram at the time of their occurrence. "THE SURPRISE PACKET." The New Zealand football representatives who went to Australia to play under the Australian code speak enthusiastically of their trip and experiences. They won six matches out cf eleven, including that against New South Wales in the Jubilee Carnival, and they were written of in Melbourne newspapers as "the surprise packet" of the competitors. Afterwards they toured Victoria and South Australia. It is felt that their tour will have a great influence for good on the game in New, Zealand, for while in Melbourne thes had the benefit of "Being coached by Me. R. Condon, captain of the Richmond Club, and one of the leading players of to-day. As a result, their play, and knowledge of the game was improved to a wonderful extent. The tean* became known as' the "wet weather birds," for they only had two dry days; for their eleven contests. THE BOXERS. Mr. Aschmau, who went to Australia as manager of tho New Zealand boxing representatives, said his men did their best, but they met high-class exponents in the opening heats, and failed to go further in the majority of cases. This year, owing to a misunderstanding, the Victorian representatives were brongnb up to compete, although only New, South Wales had agreed to this. Seeing that the Victorians had come a long, way to be present, the other States representatives and New Zealand's agreed to let them participate, though they had no actual right. A feature of the Australian style of refereeing that struck Mr. Aschman was the prac» tice of the referee remaining in the ring and separating competitors when, they clinched. This, he thought, should not be done in amateur boxing. Tha competitors should be under sufficient control to "break away" at the referee's word : that point was ope of the great distinctions between amateur and professional boxing. The tour and the experiences were alike enjoyable, thougn a little dissatisfaction existed over a failure to award a medal donated for presentation to the most scientific boxer in the championship contests. Although the New Zealanders were in Australia for two weeks, no award had been made up to the time of their leaving Sydney last Saturday, in many, quarters it was thought that the New, Zealandei Elliott, who. won the championship in his class, was sure to gain the medal. Fenn-Lusher, the brilliant little New South Welshman, whosa boxing electrified a Wellington audienca something over a year ago, was beaten, at Sydney by a Queensland boy, but there was a general impression amongst the onlookers that the referee had made a mistake. The visitors were royally, treated both in Sydney and Queensland, and they desire to record their specbl thanks to Mr. Underwood, secretary of the New South Wales Sports Club, and to Mr. Welsby, president of the Brisbane Sports Gymnasium.

The No-license meeting, postponed from the previous week, which was ta have been held at Northland last night in the Primitive Methodist schoolroom, had to be again deferred this time till Monday next, as the elements were again adverse to a gathering in that suburb, only a few venturing out <n tha rain. .Messrs. J. H. Bethune and Co. advertise in our auction columns that on Wednesday, 21st October next, at 2.39 p.m., at their rooms, under instructions from the Registrar of the Supreme Court, they are submitting two blocks of land hi the Otaki district, containing areas of 184 acres 1 rood 32:6 perches, and 76 acres 2 roods 30 perches respectively. De* tails of these appear in the advertisement