"UNFAIR & UNDERHAND"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 27, 1 February 1924, Page 4

"UNFAIR & UNDERHAND"

HARD WORDS FOR C.F.A

TOUR OF CANADIAN FOOT-

BALLERS

NEW ZEALAND STANDING OUT.

Very strong axpvessions o{ opinion were voiced at a meeting of tho-Ncw Zealand Football Assoqiation last evening, when the question (if a tour by a Canadian Soccer team was under discussion, thq objections being against the part the Commonwealiih Football Association )md played in "ooing behind New Zealand's back and cutting the- ground from under the Dominion's feet, although New Zealand hatf actually been the prime mover, in Hie suggested tour." Finally, it was' unanimously decided that Australia should be advised in plain terms that the N.ZIF.A. v?ould have nothing to do with the arrangements for the' Canadian tour, as proposed by the C.F.A. The dates suggested by the Australian authorities, two playing Saturdays prior to. the Canadians leaving New. Zealand in time to commence a nine weeks' tour •of Australia by the ..end oE May and a return season of three weeks in New Zealand prior to their sailing for Canada, were also considered by several speakers ,to be unreasonable and the proposal to be altogether one-sided. Mr. H. Graves said that as New Zealand certainly started the whole movement for a visit by a Canadian team, and had plainly and openly laid information obtained before the. Australian authorities, he considered, it most unsportsmanlike that Australia should .have opened up negotiations with Canada without consulting New Zealand in the slightest degree. The Commonwealth authorities had, during the visit of the. New Zealand team to Australia last year, agreed to the proposals New Zealand had made through himself and Mr. H. Mayer, but the next thing one knew was that the C.F.A. had been in communication with the Canadian Association, a procedure which was anything but fair, square, and 'above board. To his mind, it was scandalous that' the Commonwealth Association should have so gone behind their backs.

Perhaps it would be wise for the N.Z.I.A. to spend £40 or £50 per year, Mr. Graves suggested, to have 'New Zealand represented at the annual conference of football associations in xA.ustralia, that such a thing might not happen again.

'HITTING BELOW THE BELT."

Mr. H. Mayer also spoke strongly. Ho anff Mr. Graves had been led to understand while- in 'Australia that the ■ C.F.A. would fall in with New Zealand in attempting to arrange the tour, and their present action, to his mind, was hitting below tho belt.

"We have here a body of men who profess to bo sports, going about in a sneaking, .underhand mariner. Australia availed themselves of information which we went to a great deal of trouble to secure, and then went behind our backs, arranged a tour with the Canadian Association to suit themselves," continued Mr.: Mayer, "and they,now want to dictate to us as to what will suit us. Personally, I would not entertain for one moment the idea, of combining with Australia in b'riiiging.out'.aXiinadiari'.leilni.'.'.

Mr. F. Saunders agreed that, tho C.I.A. h,ad not acted fairly, and suggested that the N.Z.F.A. should definitely refuse the dates suggested by Australia.

It was not possible, Mr. M. J. Hayward considered, for the Canadian team to tour New - Zealand properly in five weeks, and the N.Z.F.A. stood to lose, heavily on such a proposition. The opinion was expressed by Mr. B. L. Salmon^ that Australia was proposing to give New Zealand anything but a faildeal as to dates,' for the two weeks or so at the beginning of the Australasian itinerary would ■be so much training time for the Canadians, and the return visit, after nine weeks in Australia, would not see good football. In any case the-N.Z.F.A. had no idea from the correspondence from Australia to what extent it was committed financially. Whether tho Canadian team came across or not, there was a very fair season's football ahead;.the Chatham Cup competition should be placed on a firm basis; there was the possibility of a Chinese tour, and a likelihood of another series of important and attractive matches.

-" A SMART ALEC TRICK."

If the Australasian tour was & be managed on a pooling basis, no one 'at tins end knew how New Zealand's share, would pan out, but if the arrangementwere to be 50-50, the share- would' pro-! bably^be about £1400 towards bringingthe team from Canada, and that, in vievf of what Australia offered, wan not a, profitable proposition to New Zealand. To Australia it would be all right, fojthe C.F.A would be relieved of so much, and would, in addition, be saved the 'expense of sending the- Canadians on, a long and probably unprofitable trip to Western Australia. To his mind the C.F.A. had. played " a smart Alec trick." Even so, it would not do to be too much at loggerheads -with the Commonwealth Association, for .New I Zealand must join with the G.F.A. when the English team came ont: There was nothing like being candid, Mi\ Saunders, and if th«-Aus-tralian Association would play a. diitty trick over the Canadian visit it' would do so again over the English vimt,. .unless s it was made quite plain that New Zealand would not tolerate such prac- ! tices.

Mr. H. D. Warner raised the Question o. whether the Canadian Association was not in some measure to blame for having negotiated-with Austrr/lia alone when the idea originated from iNjew Zealand. . ' "

A CHINESE TEAM.

After some further discussfion upon the action of the C.P.A., a .letter proposing a visit of a Chinese! V.M.C A team was particularly discussed, and it was decided that a cable; should be seiit to China at once to ascertain further particulars, those before the meeting, in a letter from Dr. X' H Gray in charge of the Eastern Olympiads to Mr. A. "Varney, not bei»|j definite enough upon which to reatb' an agreement.

Mr. Mayer said that .'Chinese team which had visited Australia last year had leit a very favourable impression but it was regrettable that that visit had been utterly commercialised, both by the syndicate which luid. launched the tour and the C.F.A. ' ■

The cost of bringing ' tlie Chinese team to NeW Zealand, said Mr. Salmon, should noi be more than £800 to £1000 above the cost, of bringing the Australians over two years a"o Finally, it was decider! that 'the rhuirman, secretary, and lref.surer (Mesrrf J/ordham, Salmon, ytuj '.•'raves) shun Id dispatch a cable, snrj al;? n ;> Jphter. in Australia, stating that Xc-w Zealand would not participate ,in thi> arrangements for bringing out j, Canadian te^.m,

and plainly setting out the reason why. ' s : Inquiries are also to be made as to the visit of a Chinese team this winter.. Mid a letter will also bo sent to the I Canadian Association stilting New Zealand's reasons for refusing to join up with Australia.