THE DAVIS CUP.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 191, 12 August 1911, Page 9

THE DAVIS CUP.

MR. A. W. DTJNLOP OUTSPOKEN. ATTITUDE OF ALL-ENGLAND TENUIS ASSOCIATION. . ~"; • Mr. A. W. Dunlop, the Melbourne tennis player, has -written to the London " Sportsman" with regard to the attitude of the All-England Lawn Tennis Association and the Davis Cup Compe* tition. "We Teally feel very sore indeed at the team not visiting us," ibe says, "Bince we have held the -cup, and, more particularly on the last occasion, when you already had a team picked which, however, did not undertake the trip, really because of our withdrawing the guarantee originally given, subject to the preliminary . being played in Australasia. Surely it should.have been plain.to the Association that for us to give you £6OO as your share for one match would have meant almost certain loss, if the previous financial returns of Davis Cups are taken into consideration.

"To the best of our knowledge, suoh amount has never been netted. Of course, £OOO as expenses for four playera ia little enough, but why eend four I We have had two American teams out, and had to guarantee neither. Seeing that we competed here altogether Uiree times with no monetary guarantee, we felt hurt at your request lor one, even though we give it, subject, as I said before, to a preliminary tie. boing played in Australasia. If the life of the Oup depended upon support given by the All England Association, well, it vrould .goto the wall. Surely the donor is worthy of some consideration. The position you are forcing upon us la unique, .Yoii want us to finance a team to go to Australasia to tak the Cup from us. " Your Association has over 400 affiliated clubs, so far as I can see, teeming with wealthy members. -Would a call of 30/ per club not have met the ease! In your Association's last financial statement you had £4OO ia cash; £260, liquid assets; so they were by no means poverty stricken. In that yaport also it was recommended that England should invito an American team over to play a match, as there appears no prospect of n, team competing in Australia, W« took this recommendation, to eay the least, as an unfriendly act."