ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 54, 28 November 1923, Page 8

ATHLETICS

ANNUAL MEETING OF N.Z.A.A.A.

The annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association was held on Monday. Mr. A. T. Davis presided. and the delegates present were: Messrs. S. S. Dean, F. Campbell, R. Connop, A. B. Sievwright, J. Taylor, O C. Mazengarb, F. Wilton, H. Amos. The chairman said that though the season was not likely to be so busy as the last two seasons there was still much to do with the question of sending competitors to the Olympic Games and also the Australasian championships at Hobart. Last season was probably the most successful on record in New Zealand. From the athletic point of view the success was due largely to the presence of the very fine team from America. No previous team had left a better record. The financial -esult of the tour was such as had never before been accomplished. Though thii expenses ran into four figures, the profit totalled £2OO. The previous American team had toured Australia and New Zealand, but in each State visited there was a slight loss financially. A word of special praise was due _to the enterprise and local patriotism of Gisborne for the all-round success of the visit of the Americans to Wellington. The attendance at the New Zealand championship meeting, with the Americans present, was the largest on record. The financial position today was very satisfactory, and it was a question whether they should not allocate a portion of the credit balance to the various centres which had participated in the tour. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Tho election of officers resulted as follow: —Patron, His Excellency the Governor-General; president, Mr. A. T. Davis (re-elected); vice-presidents, Messrs. S. S. Dean and H. Amos; hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. Victor Hugo; delegates to the Olympic Council, Messrs. Davis and Sievwright; hon. auditor, Mr. R. W. Shallcrass; Reinstatement _ Committee Messrs. Sievwright, Wilton, and Mazengarb. In regard to the venue of the next New Zealand championship meeting, Mr. Mazengarb moved that the meeting be held in Otago. After considering application from Wanganui, the council finally decided to hold the championships in the Otago Centre. Tho application for affiliation of tha Onehuuga A.A.C. was granted. A question was raised by Mr. Dean at an earlier meeting .that the term Australasia be deleted and the words Australia-New Zealand bo substituted wherever it occurs in the constitution of the association. This Mr. Dean moved as a remit to the conference at Hobart. After a lengthy discussion Mr. Dean's motion was canned. It was decided to grant a silver medal to the second man home in the New Zealand cross-country championsh;p race at future events.

The question of limiting the number of runners in the cross-country championship to a team of five from each centre was raised in a letter from Otago. Mr. Mazengarb suggested that the number be limited, say. to eight runners. a team of five and three others. The question was held over till the conference of delegates at the time of the New Zealand championships.