STOCK TAKEN

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 134, 3 December 1935, Page 7

STOCK TAKEN

control; of athletics

PASTY -SEASON REVIEWED

CHAMPIONSHIP E VENTS

Auckland is to be the venue of the New Zealand cross-country championship next year and also the New Zealand track and field championship meeting for the 1936-37 season. This allocation, according to the system of rotation, was made at the annual meeling.'of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association last' night.

Those present were Messrs. R. W. McVilly (president), H. 1. Austad, F. S, Hill, L. A. Tracy, A.- Urquhart, F. M. Reid, A. L. Stevens, W. F. Ingram, H. McCormick (hon. secretary-treas-urer), C.JV. .Willis, and A. C. Kitto. (vice-president).

Mr. Willis. js_ the only new member of the having taken the place of Mr. J. O'Sullivan, *vho has retired. Mr.'Willis was welcomed to the council table by Mr. McVilly.

Mr, McVilly, who moved the adaption of the report and balance-sheet, referred to. the resignation of Mr. Tracy during the year from the secretaryship owing ..to; business reasons. Reviewing the' past.season, Mr. McVilly dealt with, ther'visits ,to the Dominion of the team of Canadian college athletes and the Anglo-Finnish team, and the visits to Australia of the New Zealand track team and.the New Zealand cross-coun-try, team. On the financial side a loss of» £214 5s 9d was shown. In the overseas fund there was a balance of £70. A RECORD YEAR, s In seconding the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, a summary of which has appeared in "The Post," Mr. Austad spoke in appreciation of the presence, of Mr. Kitto, and said he thought it was.rather a pity that more of "the association's principal officers from the other centres had not the opportunity of attending. The past.year might be described as a record one, so far as concerned the number of tours that were held. The balance-sheet and statement of accounts reflected the largest loss.the association had shown for about thirteen years. Although the loss might tend to cause apprehension in some, quarters, he thought,that, when it was considered what had been done, they could say. .that the money had been well spent. "A valuable lesson had been learned from the visit of the AngloFinnish team, and that was that when major tours were arranged the athletes should be allowed to remain long enough" in the various centres visited to enable them to make proper contact, with the local athletes. Mr. Kitto, expressed ,the view that the council today was such that it had a firm hold; on, the control of amateur athletics' in New Zealand; ■ and that it was doing: its: best tefcfoster the -sport. He felt that the time had arrived when it might j be .advisable, to change the constitution's n<}t that^he personally, was dissatisfied; J? but' because he~ thought there' was;ia! general feeling all over New Zealand that this should be done. The-way delegates ;were elected at the present time seemed to bind them to a certain extent to support recommendations coming from their own Centres. Wellington had never adopted that attitude; it had not tied the hands jpf its delegates. The question of"Cnance."migh*t'be a snimbling bloctf, but, nevertheless, he thought consideration should be given the matter at some future date. Mr. Kitto eulogised the performance of the New Zealand team which went to the Melbourne Centenary Games, and said it had always seemed to him to be' regrettable in a way that'more teams from New Zealand had; not been invited to Australia, having regard to the number of .teams from Australia that had been brought to New; Zealand. PUBLIC INTEREST. The question of the establishment of" Australia v. New Zealand contests, in which the council had interested itself, was also something that was worth while. In his opinion something definite was necessary to keep the sport going ahead. The drawing capacity of athletics had diminished, and the question of inviting the best athletes from other countries to provide a stimulus was a vital one. Two or three centres, including the Wellington Centre, contemplated inviting athletes from Australia this season. At one time he had been a prime mover in advocating that centres should be permitted to invite teams, but it seemed to him now that this was a matter that should be taken over by the council. Mr. Kitto praised the report of the council's .■sub-committee on coaching, and paid-tribute to the assistance given'the Wellington Centre by Mr. Tracy while' secretary of the association.''-:^ .;■'' ■'; .'"'" :'• Mr. Tracy.said he would like to correct the impression, that the loss of £214 was in any way caused by sending the harrier team to Australia or the team to the Melbourne Centenary Games.' It might be attributed in the first^place to the visit of the Canadian college.team, which was an educational tour;..and-'-theV visit of the Anglo-Fin-nish' te&m';Vwhic;h met with some unfortunate 'weather, "and also, among other matters^ to the small amount received fiom/the receipts at the New Zealand championship meeting, and to the cost of new record and standard certificates. Apart from any difference at the present time, his opinion was that it was ;■ wrong that council delegates should be chosen in the way they were. "We are here to represent/the sport in New Zealand as a whole," said Mr. Tracy, "and I think we should be elected on that basis." Mr. Urquhart supported the views of previous speakers as to the function of delegates. The parochial viewpoint they heard so'• much about, he declared, was what was more or less lulling amateur athletics in this country. Mr. Urquhart said he agreed with Mr: Kitto that .visits by overseas teams should be .under the control of the council.- * '■■{ '■■'■■ ■'-■•■■ . • ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The following officers were elected: Patron, his . the GovernorGeneral, Lord Galway;. president, Mrl E. W. McVilly; vice-presidents, the presidents of the five, affiliated centres; chairman, Mr. H. I. Austad; hon. sec-retary-treasurer, Mr. H. McCormick; hon. auditor, Mr. J..H. Barnett; administration committee, Messrs. R. W. McVilly, H. I. Auslad, A. Urquhart, H." McCormick; reinstatement committee, Messrs. A. Urquhart, F. M. Reid, L. A. Tracy; finance committee, Messrs. R. W. McVilly, F. S. Hill, G. S. Leeder; delegates .to New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association, Messrs. H. I. Austad, P. M. Reid, W. F., Ingram; overseas representatives, Dr. A. E. Porritt (EngJan'd), Messrs. M. M. Robinson (Canada), Ira G. Emery (South Africa), J3. S. Marks • (Australia); hon. secretarytreasurer to the Rose Trust fund trus.tees, Mr. H. I. Austad; hon. surveyor Mr. M. Gandar.,

With minor amendments, a comprehensive list of alterations to the rules of the association, prepared by Messrs. Tracy and Urquhart. was adopted.