BALLOT-BOX ATTACK THREATENED

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 300, 15 September 1936, Page 2

BALLOT-BOX ATTACK THREATENED

Cricket League and Parks Committee - DISSATISFIED WITH BAD WICKETS ... . ’ . . ■■ ' . . “The management committee has made strong efforts to get some redress from the eity .council, or rather that sacrosanct body called the parts and reserves committee, but its efforts were not. very . successful,” said the chairman of the management committee of the Wellington Mercantile Cricket League, Mr. J. J. Furlong, referring to the bad wickets that had been provided on some of the grounds, in moving the adoption of the report at the annual meeting of the league last night. It was a waste of time going to the parks and reserves committee, he said. The mercantile league must represent gome three q.f four thousand votes at the next municipal election, and they ought to get together and see what they could do about those people. It was only through the ballot box that they could get the commitfete to understand things.' They should see that the present members of the parks and reserves committee did hot get on to the council again. The mercantile league was a very important part of the civic life of Wellington. They had to get up and be advocates for the new.regime that they wanted on the city council and parks and reserves committee. Very Successful Season. Mr. Furlong said the league had had a very successful season. Seventy-two teams competed in. the.,various grades. They were a bit too successful In that they had too many: teams for i the grounds available. They had also been affected by the atrocious weather during the summer. The chairman also referred to the cordial relations of the league with the Wellington Rugby Union, which had agreed’ to extend the' league’s lease of Athletic Park for two years. He paid a tribute to the groundsmen at AthIqtic Park for their work in preparing the wickets. It had been necessary to talk severely to a certain club during the season. They were not leaving anything to chance in the future. There were recommendations that would give the future management committee all the power that it needed to deal with any recalcitrant club or member. Mr. Furlong closed by paying a tribute to the work of the Umpires’ Association, and oL. his fellow members on the management committee. Hours of Play. It was decided that play in all championship matches commence at 2 p.m. and close at 6.15 p.m. The meeting adopted lengthy additions to the rules conferring disciplinary powers on the management committee, and decided to make the expenses of the' Umpires’ Association a. charge on the funds of the league. Officers were elected as follows:—

Patron, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.; president, Mr. D. A. Ewen; vice-presi-dents, Messrs. J. Adams, J. Cable, C. E. Dowland, C. W. Earle, C.M.G., A. W. Gibson, E. Gorpall, E. 0.. Hales, J. H. Halligan, P. L. Laurenson, G. H. Loney, G. E. Miller, D. Muir, J. G. MaeKenzie, D. McKenzie, J. O'Sullivan, W. H. Preston, A. P. Smith. James Young, E. D. Martin; life members, Messrs. G. Ruckman, A. G. Cate, H. J. Lawrence, A. C. Cr.oll, R. L. Thompson; secretary, Mr. G. P. Aldridge, F.C.S. (N.Z.); treasurer, Mr. S. W. Martin; recording secretary, Mr. E. R. Martin; management committee, Messrs. J. J Furlong, W. R. King, A. A. Jennings, J. Young, J. McArthur, N. Aldridge, E. F. Casey, B. F. Whitmore; umpires’ representative, Mr. A. J. Wilson; auditors, Messrs. J. W. Kellv and C. W. Robinson; solicitor, Mr. C. H. Arndt, LL.M.