NEW ZEALAND DBOXING COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 180, 25 April 1908, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND DBOXING COUNCIL

■' . .. .~. ANNUAL-REPORT.' ■ Tho. New' - Zealand!- Boxing , Cpvincil," ;in ■ .its sixth annual'report'(which, lias: iusUcbmq., to - hand)," states that, tlie sport'- is 'steadily. increas-? '! irig °in : 'pnblio favour. .During the'past-season, 1 the standard of. 'particularly; when' tK,e"dearth of -/skilled'- instruc ; tors''. was', remembered: As..the.'sport v 1 disability, would/ no ;.doubt/;'disappedr. ->. :. .- ..,'On 'tho' whole,'continued the',.committee; 'the amitfeur. branch' had been well catered;for, ,but: inore might well,have,been d'ond for it:by local I asSofjations, eS-en'while admitting: that the'pro-, .motion df-regular cbmp^titionS-Svas-'a-'matter-of; sorno difficulty, particularly as "regards obtain-' , ing 'suitable- buildings at ■ favourable periods, i . .It; was. pleasing .to note,- however, :that...the: Wei:. ;• i ing in a .direction, which; promised a good result r. in; the. future. ; As'it Was .clearly the duty of all ; lo'c'ill' associations to*: do: their-utmost: to assist '. thosei'whb had a d'esiro;to.; ! beconle cbmpetitbrs;r 'it wa's •' to-' bb-'''h6ye'd. l ' i th'at,-ldhrihg:-'t'h6 fc'oniin'g : soason,. .advantage op- ' portiinity I to; promote! cbmpetitionsi.TrTHe Gb'un'- » , cil .'had noticed with, pleasure; .the-'enthusiastic.: 1 , manner in which.' the . sport had been taken' up ' by: pupils; at; .Christ's':College -and. .the. Christ-; f church' Boys' High School, and it . was gratify-, ing to> leiir'n •' that/ duririg.'jthe, coming ■ season,' the-'Wellington Association' had hopes of ;suc-' ceediiig in-having; boxing.' introduced 1 into, the ', secondary -educational,'institutions of the Do: ■ niinion's capital city. Other. assbeiations'-migU i well endeavour:-to' follow the/good lead:that i had: been given' in, this, direction. J ~Tho' lisi: of affiliated-- association's. was as'. fol-, lows:—Northern.(Auckland),'' Wellington, West-. ' ' land' (Greyhiouth),': Canterbury (Ghristchurch), ' *South Canterbury (Ashburtoii), Timaru,! Otago '• :(Dune'dih),-aiid Soathlarid (Invorcargill);' 'There ■ were.also-associations at Now Plymouth, Palm- •. .erstori. .North;, Hastings,- Blenheim,', which , r Had .not affiliated;- though'; reqiiestcd'Ho do so; .Some-"of; theso' hod -received support-itrom' an .; affiliated,-body,; and it was a'matter, for. consid-i ; e'ratibn-. whether:;,any : such> support; should,\be' i given, to .unaffiliated bbdies. '.and whether local - asSociatib'nS should ribt-.ooinbine :in:.seif:protcc- • tiori, and' disqualify any'pdrso'iis ■ competing 'atcompetitions: promoted>;"by , unaffilated : -bodies. i The position ;waV-that-whi|o' these Unaffiliated associations' ; were'-receiving• recognition- :arid '. .support, they accepted lionefof'the-'financial. responsibility that fell upon- loyal associations . in the matter of contributing .to tho funds'oftho Now - Zealand Council, in « ' that' it might discharge the duties .imposed, upon, it: Unfortunately, the' Council had no, power'to.' take-action against these bodies by . compelling , them either' to ,beM)ine.,-mombers;.o'f, the Council or to-disband. While all other'sports-govorn-' ing,bodies had such powers,;.b6xiiig/ass'ociiitibns JWero", denied .the right,' to.-.appoint a-\govorning botJWth' authority, ito .carry their . wishes., let if:there was a sport that-iiceded 4 .a-govern-' mg- head it was boxing.;'", f' :: ' During : the l :-session: of Parliament;,tho 'Act of,, 1905 . tiniGnclcd; 'invSGVGral • '.v6rv' ■ ricccssjirydirections. :One; most 'important*''alteration; . howbver,.;was struck ouf.'';,That\was';the clauso !ginrtg. i legal -recognition /to,, the -.New-Zealand Council, .a recognition which affiliated: associations hadexpressed--a 1 wishlfor..The ;New Zea- ; ' Ijnd Council existed .solely by tlio. goodwill. ofi the .local..associations, and';as' matters, stood it, ; 1 had _ no power to approve of a' dosirablc body: ' : or.,disappr o yo/.of an undesirabld; ono; .and-Vin this... absence of •; legal ;,power of, control ,: lay a: ' - "gravo-menace; to : the-.welfare of the.spbrt 1 .. So.: > long as legal recognition .of the.'Council iwar - withheld, there nothing' to: prevent, the!: formation of bodies throughout; tlio Doniiriipn, ; ' ! , -.which,i with, but .onel objeotvin: ~ tho, acquisition rof:Jmb'ney-rcould;;specdily, de ; ; , .grade the sport,to such an extent''asrto Compel- ■' : every'- decent - mari"; to' ; withdraw- his':, support.., 'Tho position was both'absurd and,'deplbrabie;>.' , .' The annual contests-'for :tho Vnfateur qham- ' pionships' of,.Australasia-'-were'-lield-:.'last -year i 'at Wellington,'.the meeting .being'carried: but » by the' .Wellington Association in its' customary.- ' thorough and businesslike manner.- It was the : first time that New Zealand succeeded-in' win'-' ■■ ning the majority- of the'championships. The - ■record .'to date .was ' as follows:—1903::: .New South' Wales 2 f - NewVealand : '2,'; Queensland' l! ■' -1901:: New .South Wales- 2,-' New .'Zealand 2 Queensland 1. ,1905: jNew, South .:Wales' 2* - Queensland)-2, New' Zealand :1.. 'MOG:- 1 New South Wales 4, New Zealand 1£1907: New'Zea-' land 3, .New South Wales 2, Queensland l. : Thi" year the-championships, would?be decided in Brisbane; In connection with- the Now-Zea-' land Championships, which 'were.-, held' at • Auckland'-under- the auspices' of.the Northern' ' Association,.'the winners .were'as;follow:— I3antam, B. ' Tracejv Wellington ;', feather,■ E', Sau-' ' derson, Auckland; ; light, E. : Jlayz'e,' Christchurch; middle, J.,Gilmour, ChristchUrch • and heavy, J v : Lloyd, Christchurch. " Several,professional contests, 1 Keld' by various associations, provoked'considerable'interest It was evident that the public were in srmpathv , with that class when wisdom" wai ' .shown, in. the matching of the/ oontestants" ' : However,:it,was apparent that'a reaction would < .speedily set m should-there bo. any consistent ( attempt to protnoto professional contests, and ' ■to-arrange'matches:without dub regard t n H,„ standing of the contestants. It wic nlo™ r -' to note that- associations F,ad^"p® .sss&t »taasmskfi,. Tho balance-sheet sliowed that the yoar com nienced with a credit balance of W 17s m t and ended with one of'„£l3 3 . i Cs , ' 6d; t ' S V« ;; c •of which had been ear-marked to meet the cs