$2000 On Canadians BIG LOSS TO SWIMMING

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31662, 24 April 1968, Page 19

$2000 On Canadians BIG LOSS TO SWIMMING

The Canadian swimming tour of the Dominion in February is likely to cost the Amateur Swimming Association about $2OO.

But there is no thought of easing the inward and outward tours policy because of this, according to the chairman of the New Zealand council (Mr A. J. Donaldson).

Admittedly, the cost of the tour was more than the council had anticipated, he said yesterday, but devaluation had caused an increase in the fares to New Zealand and this had altered the picture given by the original budget. Mr Donaldson said he did no! think the number of visiting swimmers was too great for a tour involving appearances in eight centres. Any relaxation in the association’s

progressive tours policy could erode public acceptance of visits by overseas teams, he said.

The provisional balance sheet for the tour gives the total cost at $8304, with one or two minor accounts outstanding. To offset this, there is a grant of $4OOO from Rothmans and contributions amounting to $2OOO from centres. A further sum of $625 from Canadian Pacific Airways is still to come.

An over-all picture of attendances, charges and gate money cannot be drawn, for three centres have yet to submit reports of their carnivals to the council. Of the other five centres, Chnstchurch had the best results, with an attendance of 1200, a total gate of $825, and a profit of $338. The appearance of the New South Wales team gave the Canterbury centre an additional drawcard.

Dunedin had a loss of $B3, and losses are also expected at Auckland, Wellington and Palmerston North, the three centres with reports outstanding.

Charges made at internanational carnivals might be the subject of comment at the half-yearly meeting of the national body this week-end. Admission charges for adults on the Canadian tour ranged from 50c at Dunedin to $1.50 at Christchurch. Similarly, Dunedin sold its programmes for 10c; Christchurch charged twice this amount for the same type of programme.