THE SWIMMING SQUABBLE

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 147, 22 June 1923, Page 8

THE SWIMMING SQUABBLE

APPELLATION OP 'DUMMIES."

AtCKLAMD CENTRE E.ESESTS.

WITHDRAWAL FOR.

The motion passed bj- Hie Council ot the »w Zealand Swimming Association at Clirist.-hureh, threatening the suspension of the Auckland Swimming Centre fur unorthodox procedure in connection with the visit of the Australian lady swimmers. Misses Wylie and Yenning, laet March, was discussed at a. special meeting of the Auckland Centre last evening. Mr. A. .1. Fernandez, chairnian, presided. The chairman said that the threat would no doubt fall to the ground as the council had receded somewhat. The motion was first passed on account of tho negotiations for tho visit of the ladies having been completed without the knowledge of the centre, but it was now stated that it was solely on account of the centre failing to forward copies of the minutes. The attitude ot the council in the matter, said Mr. Fernandez, was unreasonable and unsportsmanlike. -Credit, however, was to he given to Messre. Jacnbsen and who, together with the Auckland delegate, Mr. Wheeley, had asked that the Auckland chairman and secretary should not be condemned until further knowledge of the facts ot the case had been disclosed. He resented the term "dummies" which had been applied to the Auckland Centre by the council secretary, Mr. B. O'Neill. It showed either bitterness or autocracy on his part. A3 lie was not a delegate to the council he should not have been allowed to voice his opinion, and certainly should not hare been allowed to jtive it to the Press without the sanction of the council. The question now was whether the members of the centre were going to allow themselves to be called ••dummies," and allow the chairman to 'be "slated" as he had been hy certain delegates down South, if this sort of thing continued it would alienate the centre from the. South.

The secretary (Mr. K. Cliffe) read the correspondence in its entirety previous and subsequent to the visit of the Australian ladies, the substance of "which has already been published in the "Star." He stated that a copy of the minutes was forwarded to Christchurch on Wednesday in order to comply with the request of the council. There was never any refusal to supply a copy oi the minutes.

Mr. Allen said that the centre had heea absolutely conversant with everythjjg done with the tour.

Mr. ftfulvihill suggested that the prime mover was Mr. Benson, who, with his parochial ideas, could not ccc outside OhristchTirc.il. In the speaker's opinion the Auckland Centre did right in arranging the tour from a financial point of view, and also because it paved the -way for further intercolonial visits. Mr. Benson, however, had taken it upon himself to attack the two Auckland officers concerned. He moved: '"That the Auckland Centre enters its strongest protest to the Dominion Council against the uncalled-for ipersonal attack by ■Messrs. O'Neill and Benson on our worthy chairman, Mr. A. J. Fernandez, in making unfounded statements, both in council and to the Press; and also resents the appellation| of the term 'dummies , as applied by "Mr. O'Neill to this centre (vide Press). Further, that this having had full knowledge of all negotiations connected with the Australian visit, records its- fullest confidence 'in Messrs. Fernandez and Cliffe, to whose efforts much of the success of the visit -was due, and inetructs the centre's delegate on the council to move: That Messrs. O'Xeill and Benson be asked to withdraw unreservedly the statements made and with the same publicity.'" The motion ■was seconded by Mr. J. Knwright, and carried unanimously.

'Mr. Fernandez expressed his own and Mr. CHffe's thanks for the motion passed, and the confidenc-e expressed therein. He thought that it would have the effect of strengthening the hands of chairmen in other centres.