SPORTS PROTECTION LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1303, 5 December 1911, Page 6

SPORTS PROTECTION LEAGUE.

SIR GEORGE CLIFFORD EXPLAINS. A meeting of tho Board of Control of the Sports Protection League was hold on fiVdnrdjvy. Sir George Clifford (president) ouoiiniect tiltj chair, and there were present i-Messiv. S. D. Bell, J. G. JJ. Coates, J. G. Duncan (hon treasurer). Tlio Hon. Dr. Collins was unavoidably absent. The general secretary (Jlr. A. A. I'uape) submitted a report covering the work of the league during the past month, and intimated that the Canterbury, 'Wellington, OU'.go, and Southland Centres were now constituted. During the current meiitli .Mr. Paapc was. authorised to visit Auckland, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Hustings, Napier, and Gisborue for (lie purpose of constituting provincial committees. Mr. C. \V. Tringham, chairman of the Wellintrion Centre,"asked that the board lay down a definite policy for the guidance of provincial committees throughout the Dominion, so that uniform action be taken, and further intimated that the centre was anxious lu know its powers ond the reason that prompted the Boanl of Control not to take any organised part in the coming election. With respect to .Mr. Tringham's questions, Sir, George Tord, president, has authorised (the following statement to be forwarded to the Wellington Centre, and also that tho same be made public:— "In reply to your query ns to the immediate ae.tiou of the league in regard to the pending election, I regret that the Sports. Protection League has not been in existence a sufficient time for its organisation to be perfected. If it had been, we should have classified the contests into two classes. "(a) Those in which both candidates are favourable to the leaguo's policy, ond in which consequently tho league must be absolutely impartial. "(b) Those in which the candidates have distinctly diverso views as to our policy, and in which, .therefore, tho league would exercise its whole influence in favour of its supporter against its opponent. "Owing to the short period at its disposal no .such classification can now lie adopted without serious danger of misunderstandings, t and the league must, therefore, on this occasion leave it to tho discretion of its members individually to exercise tho franchise in each constituency as may best tend to secure its objects. "It. is obvious that the mere existenco of the league, coupled with the acclaim with which it has been everywhere welcomed. has already discl»sed i to candidates that the general public is in agreement with it. and that an open disavowal of it would be unpopular. "I propose, therefore, nt this juncture to leave our friends unprompted except by their general sympathy with those in accord with us, but it follows that our action in future, when the league has acquired the necessary stability of organisation,. will be one of careful watchfulness of proceedings in Parliament, and of sturdy opposition irrespective of party, and nil lliose who nro not whole-heartedly with ns."