SELECTORS RESIGN

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 28, 2 August 1927, Page 6

SELECTORS RESIGN

AN ATHLETIC DISPUTE

CENTRE'S DISSATISFACTION

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Ever since the Selection Committee appointed by the Council of the N.Z.A.A.A. to choose the Now Zealand team for the forthcoming Australian aud New Zealand athletic championships was announced it has been the subject of criticism by several of the athletic centres in the Dominion. At several meetings of the council the matter has been discussed, and when the council met last ovening the four selectors, Messrs. B. Guy, L. A. Tracy, J. Heenan, and A. C. Kitto, tendered their resignations. Folloiving a lengthy discussion, Messrs. C. |H. Taylor (Canterbury), and A. c! Kitto and E. Guy (Wellington) were appointed to select the team to represent the Dominion. Mr. Heenan advised i that he would not be available for election again. "STRUCK A HEAD SEA." "In connection with this matter •*' said Mr. B, W. M'Villy (chairman).----i "we seem to have struck a head sea." Mr. H. Austad (Canterbury): "Yes and shipped it too. " " ' Proceeding, Mr. M'Villy outlined the position the council was faced -with consequent on the resignation of the four selectors. There were no selectors and consequently the motion that a fifth be appointed was "up in the air." Personally, 4ie had a good deal of sympathy with the selectors the council appointed. Those four gentlemen were men ivho took a very active interest in athletics and had a very wide knowledge of all branches of amateur athletic sport. They were well acquainted with tho performances of all the competitors; they j were qualified in every possible way to carry out efficiently the duty of selecting a team which would well and worthily represent New Zealand on the field of sport. For some reason or other which was not- clear to him objection was J taken to their appointment. He could have understood the objection bein« taken had the various centres not been notified, what, action the council was • taking in the matter of appointment. [ The centres^ however, had been notified. j and had been invited to submit nominations for the positions. They had not acted on that invitation, but immediately the. council made the appointment, for some reason best known to themselves they took exception to the council's decision. He did not see how any of those gentlemen appointed as selectors could be blamed for adopting the attitude they had in tendering then- resignations to tho council. DUTY OP COUNCIL. The position appeared to him to be that cither the centres had confidence in the council or they had not. Thecouncil represented the centres, and the first duty of the members of the council was to do the best they possibly could do for amateur athletics in New Zealand as a whole. He was quite satisfied that every member of tho council was animated by a desire to see New Zealand well and worthily upheld m the field of athletic sport by the team that would bo competing at the next Australian and New Zealand championships. That being so, he thought the council had been placed in an unfair position. It was to some extent bordering on an indication of want of confidence in the council. As far as he was personally concerned he was quite prepared to resign if his''centre" told him it had no confidence in him He thought that the other members of the council felt the same way, although he had not discussed that aspect of the question with them. There was nothing parochial about the views of the council. He thought that the original arrangement that was made was the best that could be made in the interests ot the sport. As matters stood ho thought the only thing that remained to be done was for the'council to make another appointment of selectors The council had to take responsibility, and he thought it should be taken. It did not matter apparently what the council did, for it seemed certain that there would be some amount of dissatisfaction and cavilling at tho action adopted by the council. However, as long as the council adopted the course that it thought right and best in the interests of athletics in the country, and appointed as selectors gentlemen whom it thought were qualified and fit to select the best team to represent New Zealand on the field, of athletic sport kk the forthcoming Australian and New Zealand championships, then he did not think tho council should worry about whether centre A, B, or C agreed or disagreed with the council's action. TWO SELECTORS. "In my opinion," concluded Mr. M'Villy, "the only thing to do and the best thing to do is for the council to appoint two selectors and finish with the matter at that." On behalf of tho selectors who had resigned, Mr. Guy thanked Mr. M'Villy for tho sentiments ho had expressed. Mr. M'Villy, he said, had put the case admirably from the point of view of the council. He would like to state that the selectors had not resigned as the result of any disagreement with the council or as the result of any action ou the part of tho council. On the appointment of tho selectors being made known criticism suddenly arose, and from one centre in particular. He referred to the Otago Centre. He had had a fair amount to do with the Otago Centre, and he had a large amount of respect for the samo centre. Therefore, ho was all the more surprised that it should levei accusations of parochialism against the council. There had been a good deal of adverse criticism in the Press about tho whole matter, which emanated in the first instance from Otago. Probably all the criti-