Athletics Loss Shown

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32395, 7 September 1970, Page 10

Athletics Loss Shown

For the first time in many years the Canterbury centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has suffered a financial loss, says the president (Mr

B. H. Kerr) in his report to be presented to the annual meeting of the centre on September 16. The loss, says Mr Kerr, was entirely because of the net loss on the Kaiapoi track and field classic and Commonwealth Games trial held at Christchurch in March. Nearly $BOOO was outlayed on the meeting, but after rain forced the cancellation of the first day and poor weather spoilt the second day, a loss of $1468 was incurred. The net profits on special meetings run by the centre were satisfactory and the ex-

cess of expenditure over in- ' come for the year was $1286, ■ says Mr Kerr. In spite of the financial 1 loss, the Kaiapoi track and field classic was a qualified < success, says Mr Kerr, and he , describes the organisation of ( the meeting as one of the (

centre’s major achievements of the season. / He also lists three points which came out of it: the great interest shown; that running a major meeting on a grass track is a very big gamble; and that wages and hire costs involved at Lancaster Park are so high that future meetings on grass at the park are most unlikely. Progress on the Merry estate project, where it is proposed an all-weather track will be laid, is an encouraging sign, says Mr Kerr, but with the opening of all-weather track at Hamilton in December, that city, along with Auckland, Wellington and

Dunedin, will have in use facilities which are only in the planning stage in the 1974 Commonwealth Games city. On the games, Mr Kerr says the centre will become increasingly involved in the complicated organisation necessary and it must be prepared to co-operate with the games organising committee to the limit of its ability. The change-over to metric distances had occurred with very little disruption and the time is not far off when all field event results will be recorded in metrics, Mr Kerr says.

Mr J. R. Williams, of the British Diplomatic Service inspectorate, has been appointed High Commisioner to Fiji when it becomes independent on October 10. He has served previously as Deputy High Commissioner in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.