CIVIC WELCOME.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 August 1924, Page 5

CIVIC WELCOME.

TO CHINESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. The Chinese university “soccer” team arrived in Hawera by the mail train last night and were met on the station by Messrs. W. Adams, J. E. Campbell, C. Cummings, H. Morgan and R. Birge, representing the l.’aranaki Association football clubs. Cheers were given for the visitors, who then boarded the cars which were waiting to convoy them to their rooms at the Central Hotel. After tea a number of the were the guests of the South Taranaki Club)

Unfortunately, steady rain set in during the night, and all idea of a practice on the ground this morning had to be abandoned, but of course the weather did not interfere with the civic reception, which was held in the Borough Council Chambers at 9.30 a.m. .

All the seating accommodation in the main council room was occupied when the Deputy-Mayor (Mr. E. Morrissey), in the absence of the Mayor, and oil behalf of the citizens of the town, extended a very hearty welcome to the visitors. He said that the people of Hawera. had been looking forward with a great deal of interest to the visit, and although the team's stay would be short, he hoped they would :arry .away with them pleasant recollections of the district. He did not know much about soccer, but he was informed that the Taranaki team to play to-morrow would be a hard one, and he expected the visitors would be up against it. However, they could ■est assured that the Taranaki players would give them a fair and honest game.

Mr. W. Adams, on behalf of the soccer code in Taranaki, also extended a hearty welcome to the visitors. The Taranaki people had been looking forward to the forthcoming game for a considerable time, and they had done their best to put the most efficient team in the field that they could produce. Mr. El. Dixon asked the visitors not to be downhearted over the weather, as in laranaki we could experience spring, summer and winter in a. single ■lay, and in all probability thev would be greeted by a beautful day tomorrow. He. hoped that when they went hack to their own country—a ountry which many people did not understand—they would carry back \vith them pleasant memories. Continuing, Mr. Dixon said he had rubbed with educated 'Chnese, and lie found them to lie thorough gentlemen. He always used to be delighted to converse with the Chinese Consul in Wellington, who was a man whom he would invite into his own home. As iar as the colour line was concerned 1 , that made no' difference at all when we came down to the basic principles of manhood. He was sure that the visit of the team to Taranaki would do good in the way of bringing together people of two different nations in a spirit of brotherhood. When that spirit was widely encouraged the day would speedily come when war would be no more.

.Mi;. A. E. Dome, tnanager of the visiting team, thanked those present for the cordial reception given. He said that the members of the team represented the higher class of Chinese, although they said themselves drat they were not of the highest. * b. e y could all speak English fluently. v\ ith regard to the game to-morrow, they took up the attitude that win or lose they would not blame the wea- , er ‘,, The team was used to hard dry fields, and in New Zealand they had struck four bad fields and two good ones. The team were reallv ambassadors of good sport, for in China sport was just having its beginning. In New Zealand there was a great deal of misunderstanding in connection with the people of China, and that misunderstanding had been held against the Chinese as a whole. The first people to come to a country were •sometimes the lesser element, and it was xiot always the highly educated that were the first to arrive Mr Wong, the team’s coach, said that the American (Mr. Dome) “had left no ground for him to cover ” However, the members of the team were very grateful for the kind reception that had been given them. Be would like to assure those present that the members of the team were in better condition than ever before—they had learned to swim in the salt water but now they had learned to swim in the mud Nevertheless, if they lost they would take their beating like sportsmen. The captain, Mr. Ting, also said tnat the team were more u«ed to a dry ground He could not predict what would be the score, but as in Uhma everything rail in cycles of three, and during the last three games the team had experienced a draw, a loss, and a win in that order, he expected that to-morrow’s game would be a draw. Continuing, he said that their motive was to play a fair game, win or lose. They were always 7-cadv to receive defeat manfully, victory modestly, and a. draw cheerfully. Cheers were given for the visitors, who returned the compliment, and the function ended. This afternoon the team will be taken on a trip round the mountain.