TOO STRENUOUS

Evening Star, Issue 20862, 4 August 1931, Page 6

TOO STRENUOUS

AMERICAN ATHLETES' NEW ZEALAND TOUR DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR TREATMENT (Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, August 4. Dissatisfaction with their treatment and the conditions of amateur athletics in New Zealand was expressed by the three American university athletes, Kiser, ilothert, and Simpson, who toured the dominion under the auspices of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association on their return to San Francisco on May 14. The team went to Mr C. G. Kroguess, the New Zealand Association’s representative in America, and ventilated their grievances. The athletes complain that the tour was too strenuous, and several meetings were held at towns which were so small that a fair income from attendances was impossible, in a number of towns the accommodation they received was third and fourth best. They felt that the association was giving them as little as it could, but was still maintaining a good appearance itself. The athletes said they were well treated regarding expenses with few exceptions. One was the question of clothing expenses. Clothing deteriorated rapidly on the trip, and they understood they would get oOdol apiece at the conclusion of the tour to meet this expense, but at the end of the tour the request was refused. They stated that Mr Tracy, secretary of tho New Zealand Council, gave them £1 to last them for the four last days of the tour, with two towns still to visit and about 700 or 800 miles to travel.

One . impression they received was that the co-operation which should exist between the local centres was absent, and tho development of amateur athletics was under a,heavy handicap by lack of harmony. The association’s reply, prepared by Air ,R. W. M'Villy, states that the tour was" arranged to give tho visitors as much leisure as possible, and of seeing things in which they were interestHl. It was difficult to understand how the tour could be described as too strenuous. The association’s object in arranging the meetings in the smaller towns was primarily to give a fillip to athletics ,in localities where professionalism had ruled. No complaints had been made about the accommodation during the tour. The requests for clothing expenses were declined solely on tho ground that it might endanger the status of tho visitors and the association. The association felt a deep obligation- to the visitors, all of whom were kept in kindly remembrances, but it could only express regret that the, team discovered so many shortcomings during Its brief sojourn. The letter concludes: “ Very probably, if we are seriously looking;, for a cause of captions and destructive criticism, a microscope would he unnecessary in making the discovery.”