BOWLS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 288, 5 September 1928, Page 8

BOWLS

ANNUAL MEETING OF DOMINION COUNCIL TWO RINK GAMES A DAY ALTERING FINANCIAL YEAR Mr. A. J. Beuzie, the outgoing president, occupied the ehair al the outset of the annual meeting of the Vominion Bowli ig Association held in the Accountants’ Chambers yesterday morning. In opening the conference Mr. Benzie made it his business to congratulate Mr. S.,M. Stone on bis election to the olliee of preS "'jlr Stone thanked the delegates lor the warmth of tlicir welcome and assured them all that he appreciated the great honour Nvhieh hud been bestowed on him. OCdcers Appointed. The adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet was moved by Mr. Benzie, without comment, mid was adopted without discussion. . . . Mr. K. W. Shallcrass was appointed secretary to the council for the .year, and Mr, E. A. Liddle was appointed auditor for the year. , ~, ... . The president and the Wellington members of the centre were appointed the executive committee of the council. Members of the executive committee, with nominees from the Wellington centre. were appointed to be the tournament committee, in connection with the Dominion tournament, which is to be held in Wellington in January next. The application for affiliation from the Hallyburtou Johnstone Bowling Uluti (Auckland) was approved. Bowl Testing. Mr. J. J- Marlow (Dunedin) moved: “That the D.N.Z.B.A. appoint an official bowl tester, at a salary to be decided upon later, who will give the whole of his time to bowl-testing tor a period ot five months in the year. His duties shall be to visit every centre in the Dominion and test bowls there. The fees tor testing to be the property oi the council. The mover thought that, though his idea might be before its time, he thought it was time that the (green) test should he made standard throughout the Dominion. Mr. 11. Mayer said that it would be impossible for oue man to do the work in the live months. In his opinion, it would be best to get the tester to instruct the tester in each centre, so that the test adopted would be u universal one. which was not the case at present. Several members said that they had been instructed to vote against the remit, though personally they considered there was a good deal in it. • . , Mr. Marlow said that he wished to make it clear that Mr. Scott (of Dunedin) was the sole and only official tester of the association, but arrangements had been come ‘ to with some ol the centres for a local tester to be employed. IBs only desire in moving the motion was to try and bring about a universal system of bowl-testing. Xn answer to criticism, the mover said that the term of five months was mentioned as it was considered that the green test could only be made during nye months of the year. The expense might come to a little more than the fees, but bowlers could not be asked to pay Jos. to have their bowls tested, as was at present the case. He left the matter in the hands of the council. . Mr. Fustier (Dunedin) said that something of the kind would have to be brought about, as, sooner or later, some men would be found winning a tournament with bowls which bad been tested in various ways, and in different places, and would have to be ruled out by the association, and yet it would have been brought about by the association s laxity in not providing the means ot a standard test. . On being put, the motion was Jost. Changing the Association Year. Mr. G. L. Gladding (Auckland) moved : “That this centre invites the council to again consider the Auckland remit submitted last year, viz.: -That the Dominion Council consider the advisability ol altering rules 13, 14, and 18 in the constitution of the Dominion ot Acw Zealand Bowling Association, in order to provide for the incoming council to take office at.a much earlier date each year tbau heretofore.’” The mover said the object of the motion 'was to do away with the rush of business between September and the following tournament. . Messrs. Benzie and Okey (Christchurch) heartily supported the motion. Mr. Stone gave the motion Ins wholehearted support. He found that they could have been busy for the last two months, particularly with regard to the fitting in the engagements of the Australian bowlers who proposed to come to New Zealand in January. . The motion was curried unanimously. On the motion, of Mr. J. Kershaw, it was decided : “That in future the financial year of the association be made to end on May 31, and that the annual meeting of the council be held in the month oi July in each year, and the consequential amendment of dates in rules 12, 10, 14, and IS.” Hotel Expenses. Mr. It. N. X’ilkington (South Auckland) moved: “That the Dominion Bowling Association should allow councillors hotel expenses when attending council meetings outside of their home towns.” The mover said that his centre had agreed to the principle involved, and he could not deem it in any way savouring of professionalism and more than the payment of railway fares. Mr. Gladding (Auckland) supported the motion. Mr. C. I’liyiie thought the matter was an important one; and lie did not think that the association should deal with it until it had been carefully considered bycentres. The president pointed out that if the remit was passed it would need an alteration of the constitution of the association. Mr. J. J. Marlow said that if it were passed he thought it would be eligible for the council to pass it. Mr. X’ayne thought 14 days’ notice would have to be given, and a notice of motion given setting forth the proposed alteration to the rule. Mr. Benzie: Do you rule the remit out of order? . . “No,” said the president; “the remit is in order, but, if passed, would not become operative until a notice of motion was given setting out fully the alteration of the rule.” The motion wns lost by S votes to vElection of Delegates to Council. Mr R. N. Pilkington (South Auckland) moved - “That iu the opinion of this centre it would bo advisable that each centre or group of centres should elect their own representative to the Dominion Council. In moving as above Mr. Pilkington said that his centre considered that the smaller bodies were not adequately represented. They found that at present four centres outi of twenty had two-thirds of tho voting power, and that It was not truly representative of the bowlers of the whole of the Dominion. They considered that the Dominion should be divided into two electorates —six members for each island, and thirteen members altogether, the extra one being for the centre where the annual tournament was being conducted. Mr Okey seconded the motion. lie thought it was a matter for a special committee to go into the matter. The president said that the matter had been brought before tho council last year, and committees representing each island were appointed, but these had nothing Io r °it was suggested that it might be better to leave it to the executive to report. Mr. .Marlow pointed out that the proposal meant a complete change. At present delegates were representatives of the whole of their island, whereas the motion meant that a delegate would represent a particular centre only, and would naturally bo chiefly interested in that centre. Mr. Kastier (Dunedin) agreed that at present thev represented tho whole of the Dominion The outside centres hud representation in each island. The question had been discussed before, and some of the sub-centres had been so violently in-

terested in the project that they had not voted upon it when requested to do so. Mr. Pilkington disagreed. He said that such centres had not voted because they were so much out of touch with the council of the association. The remit was lost—unanimously. Two (iames a Day. Mr. Okey (Christchurch) moved: “That in tho champion rinks competition two games of 25 heads bo played eueh day for four days." The mover put in a strong plea for two games a day, as the three games made it altogether too strenuous. Many, indeed most of the bowlers who entered for the rinks, look, . upon the tournament as a holiday, in which case players could have ample time for luncheon, and the games would not extend into the evening. As all the centres bad gone into the question be would not go any further into the matter. Mr. C. L’ayue (Dunedin) said this was a matter more for the local centre, and though if he were in Wellington ho would like the three games a day, still, if the local people thought two games a day were best ho would vote with them.

Mr. Gladding was inclined to think with Mr. Payne, though he was instructed to oppose it, but not to press that opposition, Would it not be possible to take a referendum of the players on the matter '/ Mr. A. Smart (New Plymouth) said a referendum bud already been taken. It hud favoured the two games a day, but the association had gone back on it without consulting the bowlers. Messrs. Kershaw, Mayer, and Hodgkins (Wellington) all spoke in favour ot the two games a day for the rinks. On the motion being put it was carried wltliout a dissentient voice. Order of Play. Mr. Gladding (Auckland) moved that the order of play for the tournament be the same as last year—viz., singles, rinks, and pairs; post-section play in the singles and pairs to be deferred until after the section play in the rinks. Mr. Marlow seconded the motion, and said that the system curtailed the tournament by a day and a half. By any other system 75 per cent, of the players would be walking about for two or three days in the centre of the tournament. Mr. Fustier also thought the system the best that bad been evolved. It. was fluked upon during the visit, of the British bowlers, and it had proved to be the best. Insofar as it was the only system which had permitted them to clean up In schedule time.

Mr. Kershaw moved as an amendment that the singles and pairs be played out. the rinks to follow. The amendment was seconded pro forma by the president, but it found no favour, and, on being put to the council, was lost. Tlie motion was carried. It was decided that the tournament eonimenee with the singles on Monday, January ", the rinks to eonimenee on M eduesdav. January "J, and the pairs ou Mondav. January 14. Two days were allotted to the pairs. It was decided that preference be given to rinks in post-section play. Singles are to be played ou the automatic two-life system. Mr. Kershaw moved that in the pairs players be guaranteed three games ou the first day, aud that on the second the play to be on the sudden death principle, losers to go to a consolation event. Mr. Pilkington,maintained that such a system would penalise winners on the first The amendment by Mr. Fastier, to playon the same lines as iu the last tournament, was rejected. As a further amendment Mr. Marlow moved that the pairs be played as last year with the alteration that, the section ties be Included in post-section play in games of 21 heads, to be decided on the sudden death principle. This was approved Benevolent 1' unu.

Tho matter of the establishment of a benevolent fund for the benefit of widows and orphans of bowlers and of indigent bowlers was brought forward by Mr. Gladding (Auckland), who outlined a scheme of contributions whereby a fund could be established. Mr. Gladding said really the matter did not emanate from the Auckland Centre. It had been brought before the Wellington Centre by Mr. Snlek, who bad asked to be allowed to address the council on t.he matter. Mr. C. I’avne said it was a very important matter," involving the finance of the association, and he did not think that anyone should be allowed to address the council. The matter should come through the centre. „ , , , , The president said tiiat Mr. Snick had brought the matter before the Wellington Centre, which had referred it to the clubs with very unsatisfactory results. Mr. Gladding moved that the council approve the principle of establishing a benevolent fund, but on being put to the council the motion was rejected.