Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28th., 1929. BOXING TOURNAMENT

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 August 1929, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28th., 1929. BOXING TOURNAMENT

QREYMOUTH, after a .week’s devotion to the arts of literature, music and oratory, is now preparing to enjoy a festival where brawn is necessary as well as brain, and this versatility of taste is to the district’s credit. It is a mistake to cultivate mentality and intellectual culture only, as it would be to ignore the higher arts and honour alone physical accomplishments. Experience has proved that Greymouth holds in high regard both these methods of instructive entertainment, and few, if any, other towns of its size in any country can claim a prouder record in this respect. Year after year “the Competitions” are successfully held, the standards maintained winning enthusiastic praise from visiting experts, and in sport of all kinds, despite the comparatively small population from which to draw, the West Coast is rarely in the background. The reputation of Coasters is such that visitors from all other parts of the Dominion are glad to come here, and their expectations of a pleasant time are seldom disappointed. Boxing has long been a favourite sport with Westlanders, and from the early days onwards, some good fighters have been produced locally. It may be that in this respect the present time is rather “lean,” but the forthcoming tournament should inspire renewed local interest in boxing and enable the Coast later to add to its laurels. There is no reason, however, why this week’s contests for the New Zealand amateur championships should not draw record patronage, beyond even that achieved eight years ago, the figures of which have not since been surpassed. Boxing is a sport that deserves every encouragement. No lad is properly equipped for life’s struggle unless he has some expert knowledge of the art of selfdefence. It is really more desirable that a youth should learn boxing than, say, swimming; valuable as the latter instruction admittedly is. The lad who knows something of boxing, is rarely a trouble-maker, as the lessons learnt by him during tuition, keep him self-disciplined and self-respecting. Some people, who have never witnessed amateur boxing contests, have wrong ideas of the standard of conduct upheld. If there should be any of these honest doubters in Greymouth, at present, they can be strongly recommended to attend the tournament and see for themselves the wisdom of encouraging boxingtuition. ' Few sports demand so many of the physical virtues honoured by British races, and few are better conducted, so far as this Dominion is concerned.

The proceedings at the annual

conference of the New Zealand Boxing Conference will be followed with close public interest. There appears to be no really serious question before the delegates, and this, in itself, speaks volumes for .the excellent basis on which the sport in the Dominion rests. There will be sympathy with the efforts to have the amusement tax ' abolished, but the time may not be opportune for a Government, with a deficit to overcome, to surrender any source of revenue. The limita-i tion of purses offered for professional fights should receive much support, as -will any proposals tending to encourage boxing tuition in secondary schools and similar institutions. Meanwhile, it w T ill be hoped by all West Coasters that visiting delegates and competitors will have an enjoyable stay, and that on their departure, their recollections of the brief visit will be of a happy character, no matter wiiat laurels may have been won, or lost, by them in the ring.