CENTENARY SWIMMING

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1936, Page 13

CENTENARY SWIMMING

PAN-PACIFIC CARNIVAL'

WELLINGTON OR AUCKLAND ?

The question as to whether Auckland or Wellington should be the venue .of the suggested Pan-Pacific swimming championship carnival to be held in the Centenary Year, 1940, has been raised by the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. The following letter from Mr. B. 'O'Neill, Wellington delegate to the council, which has its' headquarters in Christchurch, has been received by the Wellington centre: — Auckland centre has requested permission to open preliminary negotiations with a view to conducting a Pan-Pacific championship meeting in the Centenary Year, 1940, inviting Japan and other Pacific nations to take part. As I understand the position, the centenary is as much a Wellington as an Auckland affair. If that is so, there might be some question as to whether Auckland or Wellington should be the locale of the meeting if it is promoted. The council therefore asked Auckland to discuss the matter with Wellington with a view to reaching agreement as to where the championships should be staged. Has Auckland approached you on the matter? They have put forward a remit to the conference of centres asking for a favourable verdict on their request, and. if Wellington has equal rights, and Auckland have not discussed the matter with you, the conference should know about it. The matter has been placed in the hands of the delegates representing the Wellington centre at the annual conference of delegates to take place at Dunedin on Friday night. ' AN UNFORTUNATE POSITION. "Wellington is in an unfortunate position regarding the Pan-Pacific meeting " said Mr. D. S. N. McCartney, chairman of the Wellington Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimmmg Association, to a "Post" reporter today. "If we do ask for the championships, we haven't baths with the facilities required to hold them. • "The whole matter is really one for those dealing with the centenary celebrations here. There is ample time yet for the required baths to be built, and the committee should approach the City Council without delay. - "At present, there are no baths here which can be placed anywhere near those of Auckland in point of suitability. Te Aro Baths are quite inadequate for such an important meeting If our delegates suggest Kiddi* ford Baths'as the venue, Auckland may quite fairly bring forward that city 3 tepid baths, with which we as yet have nothing to compare."