"PIN-PRICKING"

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 86, 8 October 1930, Page 8

"PIN-PRICKING"

N.Z.A.A.A. CRITICISED

"THIS AND THAT" IN* COMMITTEE

Tlip fondness of the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association for going into committee, the withholding of matter from publication in , the . Tress, and the attitude of the council in other ways were dealt with by Mr.,A- C. Kitto, president of the . Welliugton ..' Amateur Athletic Centre, at the centre's meeting last evening. Mr. Kitto said he was just about getting tired of the council's . pinpricking. This and that was held-in committee, and it appeared to him that the sport was suffering as a result. The criticism was made as the result of a-letter from Mr. L. A. Tracy, secretary of the council, 'in which he said the centre had committed "a distinct breach" in disclosing part of the itinerary of the American athletes' tour in New Zealand during the coming season, in pew of the instructions issued that the itinerary was not for the Press.' Mr. Tracy said that a protest had been received from the Wangimui-Taranaki Centre as a result of the Wellington Centre's action. The council had. considered the matter, and if was disappointed and regretted the st»p taken by the centre. Mr Kitto said he would -take full responsibility for the dates being made known. He always believed that if information like that was withheld from the Press the sport was going to receive very little publicity. When the itinerary was received in the first-place there was no covering letter that it was not to be .published. It'was only after he had spoken to Mr. Tracy over the telephone and had suggested giving it to a certain Press representative that the other letter followed.' That letter stated that the itinerary was not for' publication until the dates had been confirmed. The Wellington Centre at its meeting confirmed the dates affecting the .Wellington district, and it was decided that uo.harm could be done by their publication, Ivhich was done.-'Only the dates affecting ths Wellington district were published,' and he did not think tbe centre, had done wrong in giving the Press those dates. What, it had got to do with the Wanganui-Taranaki Centre, continued Mr. Kitto, he did not know. If the council was going to continually withhold matter from the Press, then he thought it was going the wrong way about encouraging amateur sport. A reply was asked for by the council. AVhat reply the centre was going to send he did-not know. Mr. A. A. Nattrass said he saw no reason why the centre should have withheld the dates. CONTINUAL PIN-PRICKING. Mr. H. Rose: ''I don't see that any harm was done." , , Mr. Kitto: "This, continual pin-pricking of the Wellington Centre has got to stop some time." ~ Mr. Rose: "I think it is pm-pnekmg. Mr. Nattrass: "That is all it is. Mr. Kitto: "I'm just about getting tired of it anyhow. This centre has always believed ,in publicity, and I thmk that is what we owe our success to. Holding this in committee and that in committee seems to me to.be killing the It was decided- on the' motion of Mr. Nattrass to reply to the council that the centre, having approved: its own, dates,] saw no reason why they should not be made public, ' especially in view of the fact that the centre believed m publicity.