ANNUAL MEETING OF N.Z. ASSOCIATION

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 106, 1 November 1923, Page 4

ANNUAL MEETING OF N.Z. ASSOCIATION

VISIT OF N.S.W. TEAM DISCUSSED

S(LN INVITATION FOR DECEMBER,

The annual meeting of- the New ■ ■ Zealand Lawn Tennis Association was held in I the Accountants' Chambers last eveningj Mr. J. C. Peacock occupying the chair.

In moving, the adoption of the report ancl balance-sheet, extracts from which hare already been nublished in« "The Post," the chairman remarked upon the steadily-increasing amount of work thrown upon the secretary and Management Committee, and expressed the thiiiks of tennis players to those officeri. There had been a very great increase in the membership of affiliated associations, the total now being 18,000, which was an increase of practically 100 j>ei? cenfc. upon the figure o£ only four years ago. Eeferring to the holding of the< recent championship meeting' at Napier, Mr. Peacockj said that he. believed thgtt the proposal that such tournaments should be held in one or other of the main centres,, was well founded, and jwKen that'policy ;was decided upon difficulties as to finance would not be '.eaperienced. Admittedly, the association had lost over the Australian visit, but to-his mind the money in that case had been. well.,spent,. f pr^anything. that would bring players "together hi" that manner was; a -good in vestment. • ..

Another point which was emphasised imfthe report •was in regard to the encouragement which should be given to: junior players, said Mr. P.encock, but the."great difficulty had been the lack of sufficient playing facilities. It had been quits impossible in ,the past to cater fullySfor all young; players offering, but the.'.indications^ were „<that .better times were coming. Wellington had a big scheme on hand, for instance, and Christchurch Juniors' would be better catered for^'through-^the i generosity ,of a patron ofjihe game,. who-.-had given an area of twelve^ acres 'ior the;..laying-put of-rcourts. to /that section of the report dealing with the visits^of overseas teams, Professor F. P. Wilson, remarked that though there was no. doubt that interState visits wertf of great value, both in encouraging'tennis of a better class and , in;vfostering a spirit of reciprocity, ' the associafibn-had no great reserve; and he doubted the wisdom of. seriously cutting injerthe none' too-great- Wserve>funds. He"i;.did not: suggest .j-fliat such, -: visits should be 'discontinued;'"but-he thought that" the association might well consider means : i or the strengthening of its finan-. cial position. '.: n :Mr.;p.;';'Salmond maintained that money-could not be spent in any wiser manner than in the arrangement of interstate visits,- for in tio other way could the association more speedily brine upEthe .standsrd of New Zealand tennis. iEosses on meetings'. in which overseas players competed, Mr. G. N. Goldie contended, were probably largely a result.;of;the. fact that, up-to-date grounds were not available^ b.ut ;that difficulty would shortly- be overcome, ;and: the loss.on one or two tours, he fully beli?7ed, would be made up ten times if the.-association kept- straight ahead, steadily popularising'the ganie, gaining more members and for better ground facilities. ) ";; TEAM FROM N.S.W. *3fr. E. Salmpnd, speaking on behalf .©f^the. Taranaki Association, expressed regret that the position in regard to theLvisit of a New South Wales, men's team this year had not been made more clear. It would be regrettable if the proposed tour should not eventuate.

In reply, Mr. M. E. Denniston said that. the. position was very difficult, as the;~N.S.W. v Association had stated that it-could not send its best team across in February on account of home fisteares, though it could send a team early in December. Those players, however, would have to be' .back .in' AjJsiralia early in January, and this would have only a very.short time in New Zealand. The position ■'•'oulcl he further complicated by the New Zea- , land championship . fixtures. :Mr. A. G. Henderson referred to the very considerable difficulty of getting players and public sufficiently interested before Christmas, but after' further discussion a recommendation was made to the .^Management Committee," which is stiMbin communication with the N.S.W. Association, that December was -'not. tdolearly.fori the., visit, and that accordingly the_ committee should endeavour to^comple'te*. arrangements for, a match agajhst a New Zealand, team prior: to tKg.-;;championships, and for such other ggrnies against teams from affiliated assoSiations as might be found possible. During the discussion a question was asked by Mr. G. Gore as to whether the proposed visit by an English team in 1924 might not clash if the N.S.W. players came over after, the New Year, bufrut was pointed out that if that visit did. eventuate it would not take place till^the beginning of the 1924-25 season. IH NOTICE OF MOTION. . ' "Nbtice; ;was_ given' by Professor WiJ-son-of his intention to move: "That in O.rdei- to increase the revenues of tho NJZ.L.T.A. for the purpose of financing visits of interstate teams and of encouraging junior tennis, at all open meetings in New Zealand every comjj^ltor, except in junior events, shall paj^-to the committee of such meeting' an:'.association fee of 2s 6d, and the amount of such fees shall be remitted byr the committee to the treasurer of the^-'N.Z.L.T.A. within one calender month after the first day of the holding vof such meeting; that sixpence of euch fee be allocated Dy the Management Committee to affiliated associations as have junior associations proportionately to the membership of such affiliated association." Alterations .to the rules regarding eligibility of players and the Anthony Wilding Memorial Shield were approved. fe ELECTION OF OFFIOEES. .The election. :of officers for the ensuing yearl resulted as follows:—Patron, His Ex'cejlenoy the Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe; president, Mr. W. N. Seay (Canterbury); vice-presidents, Melon- H. G. Thomson (Auckland), F. Moeridge (Marlborough), ■S. N. Brown (Otago), C. S. Longuot (Southland), G. Smythe (South Canterbury), C. B. Webster ■ (Taranald), W. G. Fabling (Waikatb), B. A. Howie (Wanganui), J. C. Peacock (WelUngton), T. E. >launsell (West Coast);' delegate ,to the Lawn Tennis Associattarij London, Mr. F. H; Woodward ; management committee, Messrs. M. E. Dennijton (chairman), L. 'J. {Berry, A-G.^HendeMon, S k A. Longuet, J. L. Lord, P. Wnlte-Parsons, Professor F. P.. "Wilson; N.Z. Appeal Council," Meesrs. W. 'NJ. Seay,- J& -J. Tayfei, -w. Q oß i E . Browning, and *•• R. Hagjup.i jy,^ aiditorj Mr, F..

O. Austin; gecretarv and treasurer, Mr. D. Murray Kean.