The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1930. "OUR FRIENDS, THE ENEMY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 33, 8 February 1930, Page 8

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1930. "OUR FRIENDS, THE ENEMY."

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, j And the good that we can do. 1 • i ■ ■

► The people 6f Auckland, whether they happen to be cricket enthusiasts or not, offer friendly and fraternal greetings to the English ■ Eleven which is doing battle with our own [ representatives at Eden Park to-day. The visit of a touring team from Home is still a comparatively rare event, and it never fails to evoke that sense of kinship and that pride in our British origin which is even now to many us tile most treasured portion' of our • national inheritance. Our visitors come to us not simply as rivals in the athletic field, and j certainly not as strangers, but as friends and h kinsfolk; and while we cannot conscientiously 1 wish for them an unbroken series of triumphs i in their tour through the Dominion, we hops that they will appreciate the sincerity of our welcome and that when, they leave us the name of New Zealand will recall to them nothing but pleasant associations and happy memories. Though this English eleven can hardly be regarded as fully representative of England's cricketing strength, most of "its members are well known by reputation to our cricketing public, and they have already made good their claim to be regarded as very formidable antagonists. The name of their captain in particular is familiar to all loyal subjects of "Willow the King" on this side of the world, and the best" wish that' we can offer Mr. Gilligan is that lie will succeed worthily to the reputation that his brother achieved in Australia as a first-class cricketer, a courageous fighter and a good "sport." When British teams of cricketers or footballers visit these remote "confines of the universe," it is usual to refer to them as "envoys of Empire," and to lay stress upon the influence that such tours undoubtedly exercise ill binding the Dominions more closely and firmly to the Mother Land. This view' of 'the case is no doubt an important one, but for the moment the .people of Auckland at least are chiefly concerned with the more purely athletic aspects of the occasion. This tour has been arranged chiefly for the purpose of raising the level of cricket in the Dominion by allowing our players to gain experience against first-class English exponents of the arts of batting and bowling and fielding, and by providing them with models for their emulation or imitation in the various departments : of the great game. From this point of view the well-established reputations of the . principal members of the team, and the successes that they have put to their credit in Australia and New Zealand, have already guaranteed the success of the tour As to the special circumstances which have combined to produce these rather discursive remarks—it can hardly be expected that the local eleven will do more than make a creditable showing against such a powerful combination. Quite apart from the actual batting or bowling skill of the visitors, lack of experience against high-class outsiders, and , the heavy strain thrown upon the "morale" of young and relatively untrained players under such circumstances as these, would oe quite enough to account for the failure of the local men to do themselves full justice. But however this may be, we are confident that Mr. Gilligan and his comrades will find that, deficient as our men may be in cricketing skill, they have taken to heart that best of all athletic maxims, "to set tl\e game above the prize," and that whatever be the result of the match which has started to-day, they will have the consolation of knowing that they have fought, hard and that they have tried to "play the game" in accordance with the best traditions of British sport. ; DOMINION PRODUCE. The organisation of markets is one of the most important of modern economic developments, and the negotiations now in progress ■ between Mr. Snowden- and the Australian Minister of Trade and Commerce with this object in'.view should be followed with great interest on this side of the world. The aim of the scheme is "to ensure higher prices for the Australian, producer and lower prices for the British consumer" by eliminating middlemen and reducing the cost 'of handling goods. To effect this -some measure of State 'control will 1 be required. But this will not deter the Labour Governments of Britain and Australia: from luc.king the proposed experiments, and New Zealand should be ready to profit by. the valuable object : lesson that these operations will provide; . ; .I V: ( TH£ FAREWELL, • - f Sir Charles Fergusson ,has : 'brqiight his stay • amongst us, to a most effective and appropriate close with the farewell; message ' that he has addressed to. the people of New Zealand.; Simple and direct in its expression, ! and, like all.the .G.bvernor-GenCral's utterances, '. ringing with" sincerity in every word,' the message ~will appeal,-strongly.', to the many thousands of men and women in this country who'have learned to appreciate Sir Charles at '• his - true, worth 1 and to. think of him; less as' a ' distinguished soldier and' the. Official! represent tative: of.'the CrownHhan as man" and almost as a'. personal friend.- No one is , forgotten- .' in / this., message—the men and women j the "the people of jihe. native race whose confidence we have greatly enjoyed and. prized," are all included in.-these; kindly words of - greeting" and farewell. iThe last, messr.jo that Sir Charles -andy Lady Fergusson ! have addressed to us 'all will Remain associated in our minds with many delightfulJmemories Of their five years' stay with us, and their Excellencies need . ,n?' assurance, now that their, kindly sentiments are reciprocated' and that they carry with them from New Zealand the best of good wishes for their future i happiness and welfare. .