RANDOM SHOTS

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 136, 11 June 1910, Page 16

RANDOM SHOTS

BY ZAMIEL"

At The risk of once more offending the half-dozen readers who periodically write mc impassioned appeals to cease abusing Wellington —not that I ever do abuse Wellington —lam again reluctantly compelled to point out that Wellington k a funny-place. Its chief humorous characteristic that has recently struck mc (by no means for the first time) is the innuence it appears to exercise upon all the athletic organisations located there in the direction of encouraging -them to assume authority over every »ther athletic body in New Zealand. It has been so in Cricket, ia Football, in Kunning, in Rowing, even in Bowls; and now it is much the same in Lawn Tennis. Of course, the headquarters of the N.Z.L.T-A- are located there, and it certainly is a conveniently central position for them. But so strongly does this accidental circumstance seem to have impressed the Wellington imagination that the Management Committee of the N.Z.L.T-A. has "now taken upon itself the light to do precisely what it pleases, without consulting the main body of dele- . gates or the local associations that they •represent. For example, not only did the Management Committee assume the right to decide what sort of ball should ; be used at the tournaments without -taking advice-upon the point; but it actually ; suggested to the Australasian Commit- 1 tee that the Davis Cup contest ought to be played in Wellington, though its opinion was never asked, and it had received [ no instructions from the Lawn Tennis . Association to make any such proposal. 4_n_____r___££ ' Not everybody in this country who ; knows anything about the game knows ] .that Wellington is just about the worst i place in New Zealand for a lawn tennis 1 iouraament. There are no good tennis i lawns or any sort ox kind whatsoever j "in Wellington; there is no ground large t enough for the number of courts necessary to make a big tournament a sue- , cess: and the Wellington wind—to say nothing of other climatic peculiarities— , is one of the worst things of the kind that the average tennis player is ever likely to meet. But this, not quite the . point I want to get at. Even if Wei- . iington. had been ineontestably the best ] place in the Dominion for the Davis Cup matches, instead of very nearly the srorst, what right had the Management Committee of the N.ZJ-.T.A. to ; Sl'ogate to itself the authority to - as the scene '■ ■Hi conflict without being asked for its ' -pinion, without being instructed bj the J lis the local associations a chance of expressing an 3 opinion about the matter? So far no ' reply has-—een-vouchsafed to any of these ] questions, and a listening Dominion < pauses for a reply. You see, there is • not much doubt that Ghristchurch is the ] best place for the tournament from the '■> point of viewr of the players, because it ! has nearly everything that could be desired to make the -contest a success. But more particularly as Wilding is a Christ- , church man, and the Davis Cup certainly ( wouldn't have come south of the line without him, and -he would naturally - like to have the matches played in Ms j own town, the action of the Manager ment Committee seems altogether un- i called for an, ineducable and generally ■ unsatisfactory to the last and bitterest ! degree. ±Z£±£±3:£±± ' I think I am. quite justified in trying ■ to make —-little fuss about this, because : the Davis Cup, standing for a World's ] Championship, is the biggest athletic \ prize that a New Zealander has ever (helped to win; and certainly Wilding's ' opinion as to where the matches ought ' to be played is entitled to some con? sideration. Looking back over the re- ' cords of my -connection with athletics of ' various .kinds, say for thirty years, I .can't call to mind any exhibition of arrogant and officious impertinence on the part of any athletic body quite equal to ' what .the-Management Committee of the ' . N-Z__TA. has just perpetrated at the - ■ expense of the Dominion, Of course you naturally say, why don't the local Associations, Whose delegates make up She Central Association, protest against .this nonsense, and put a stop to it? -tWell, you see, delegates have curious ideas of their duties sometimes. In the first place, it "is quite impossible for tennis players from' Christehurch or Auckland or Dunedin to travel to iWellington (whenever there happens to meeting-of the Central Association or the Management Committee; fchere--Jfore, the duty of representing the local associ-itions is delegated to Wellin°ton ; And how" do they dkchartre -this dignified: and honourable service? Do you know (as Frank Thornton used to say), on the last occasion when a really serious matter came before the N-ZX_T-__ two or more of the Anek- ' land delegate—Wellington residents, 6f coarse—having been carefully instructed by the Auckland Association, how they =were to vote, deliberately disobeyed ■their Instructions, and voted as the feelr ings and interests of the Wellington majority appeared to direct? I don't know whether those gentlemen are still •regarded as delegates by the Association they betrayed; but it certainly is the most shocking example I know of the evil influence of Wellington's mania for monopolising power. I have always admixed Mr. Theodore •Roosevelt, but I am beginning to .believe that he hasn't much sense of humour. '■ When he had finished his big hunt in Africa, he sent a sort of official report oi the proceedings to Washington, and . The details of his "bag"' were read in the House of Representatives. It seems -hat he secured altogether 4900 mammals, 4000 birds, 2000 snakes and frogs ' and lizards, and 500 fishes; not to" men- - ■nion a large number of marine and i fresh water shells and crabs and beetles and nr-hpedes/' which are lumped together■ m the report among the "also ' started,- as it were. Apparently, the American politicians, thought, it funny lor they are reported to have laughed long and loudly. And even if the exPresident didnt see the point of the joke he needn't have expatiated on the carnage he wrought amopg the African Fauna to such an extent as to stir un the S-P-C-A- which "has just made a 1 jterrifie onslaught upon "the modern N__-1 xod," and 'begged him, as he v_i_es hisi reputation, never to do it again. Per-! eonally, I hope he won't go bo far from home again to do it; for he can certainly find lots of dangerous things and people i ia. America -who would be. -the. better for a i fitt_s--*3-ree i shooting.—..