HOCKEY

Evening Star, Issue 15480, 30 April 1914, Page 3

HOCKEY

HEADQUARTERS REMAIN AT CHRISTCHURCH^

•At the annual meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Hockey Association, held at Christchurch Inst evening, the question of .removing the headquarters of the association from Christchurch to Wellington was very fully discussed. The president (Mr F. Nordon) said the papers, especially the North Island papers, had been full of condemnation of the act'ons of. the Management Committee in connection with the proposed British team's tour, a-nd he understood that certain delgates had been instructed to vote in a certain way. To open the matter for discussion, he rawed—"That the meeting, having heard the president's explanation in reference lo the negotiations for an English team, express their confidence in the retiring committee." As president, he did not want to retire from office with tint stigma that, in the words of some of the North Island associations, he had been a party to bungling negotiations for the British tour. Mr Nordon gave pait'culars relating to the negotiations. In reply to a question as to the final letter from tho English Association, Mr Xordon said that one had not been received. He further explained that Mr Elliot Davis negotiated with the English Association when he was in London, but when he returned the New Zealand Association had communicated direct. They had kept the Auckland Association posted in the matter. Mr Macdougall (Hawke's Bay) said the cable address supplied was the cause of the whole trouble. They had been using Mr Davis's fathers address, and did not know till that morning, when Mr Elliot Davis had explained the position.

The Chairman said the negotiations had not b?en dropped, as suggested, but had been left in abeyance. The New Zealand executive had paid £5 expenses for tho Auckland delegate to come to Christchurch and discuss the matter, and that did not look like trying to bungle affairs. Mr Nordon said the members of the committee had personally guaranteed £IOO. and they regretted that they were unable to guarantee the whole amount.

A motion—" That in the opinion of the meeting it is desirable that 'the headquarters be moved to Wellington"—was lest bv 16 votes to 8.