OLYMPIC GAMES PREPARATIONS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27632, 13 April 1955, Page 13

OLYMPIC GAMES PREPARATIONS

Menzies Promises Completion

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) CANBERRA, April 12. The Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) and the chairman of the Olympic Games Organising Committee (Mr W. Kent Hughes) today assured Mr Avery Brundage that plans for the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 would be finished on time. Mr Brundage, chairman of the Internationa] Olympic Committee, announced to a press conference today that the American Embassy had received assurances from the Prime Minister and the chairman of the Games organising committee that the plans would be finished on time. Mr Brundage told the press conference that Mr Menzies was deeply interested in sport and the Games and understood the importance of making a triumph of them. “Mr Menzies and Mr Kent Hughes told me they were devoted to the success of the enterprise and are going to make a success of it,” Mr Brundage said.

Questioned whether, as a result of the talks, he now thought Melbourne would “do the job.” Mr Brundage replied: “I don’t know. I can only judge by the record so far. We’ve had promises before. We want action now.” Mr Brundage added: “I am an engineer and I know the job can be done. I also know it won’t be done at the present rate.” Mr Kent Hughes, who was present, interrupted: “We all know we’ve a lot of work to do, but I am perfectly happy about it.” Mr Brundage replied: "I don’t think anything is finished—anyway anything that I know about. There are only 10 or 12 men working on the main stadium when there should be at least several hundred going hard at it.” He detailed a list of works where he considered there should be great pro-| gress or where there was ccmfusion on arrangements. “Not one of the venues for the Games events is yet finished,” he said, “and knowing the shortage of labour and construction difficulties in Australia, I just cannot tell you whether you will finish it “Will be Disgrace” “It will be a disgrace if you v cannot finish the job,” Mr Brundage said. “We don’t want another city to take over the 1956 Games, but there are other cities wanting them. There are several places where the Games could be held, but I don’t want that headlined because we don’t want to take the Games away from you,” Mr Brundage said. Mr Brundage said there would be a lot of people at the next meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Paris in June who “are not very friendly towards Melbourne. I don’t

Mr Brundage said there would be a lot of people at the next meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Paris in June who “are not very friendly towards Melbourne. I don’t expect we will have too much trouble at that meeting. I hope that between now and then I will hear something from Australia.”

When Mr Brundage said he had been told there was not enough money to ensure the proper, staging of the Games, Mr Kent Hughes interjected: “There has never been any hold-up through money shortages.” Mr Kent Hughes went on to explain financial details, and Mr Brundage broke in: “That’s one of the things I complain about. We’ve gone six years and. we still don’t know whether we have enough money.” Mr Brundage said all time that could have been wasted had been wasted and Melbourne was now working right to the deadline with nothing to spare. He said he had heard before promises that everything would be all right, but he had been disappointed.

He said he was sorry if there were bad reactions throughout the world, but he had to speak frankly, Melbourne had been opposed for the Games by many countries on the valid ground of remoteness, he said. “The international committee has done everything to help Melbourne get the Games in spite of this. We have got over that hurdle and now we find everything behind and badly organised. “It’s deplorable,” he added.