SOMEONE SLIPPED

Hawera Star, Volume L, 14 February 1931, Page 10

SOMEONE SLIPPED

AMERICAN ATHLETES’ VISIT POOR ORGANISATION BY COUNCIL. (By • Physical Guitarist.”) Who uungleu tire arrangements t’oi the visit qt the Americans to Hawera : i-q say that the omeials of the Hawera Athletic Club are displeased at tht lack ot courtesy shown by the New Zealand Council is to put it mildly. What was in the minds of the visiting athletes on their arrival at Hawor; .-on Tuesday is hard to say. They conic not have been enamoured with theii reception. There was not an officio on hand to welcome them and had nol the writer, by the merest coincidence ' been passing as the 1 o’clock service car from New Plymouth ceased run--1 rung in. front of the Central Hotel their arrival in Hawera would have ' been unknown to those most concern ed. viz., the officials of the club. See ing three strangers alight from tin car, gather their belongings, gaz< , around and after a brief eonsult-atioi disappear into the hotel, this writer ; assuming they were the expected athletes, followed them in and introductions were effected. In the absence o official advice, some members of tin club had met the mail train on arriva on Monday evening and others luu journeyed to the railway station ti meet the up train on Tuesday morning with no result. Tire responsible officials had considered the possibility of disappointing the public. Explaining the position to the visitors, the writer ’phoned the secretary advising the arrival, after which club official! made a belated appearance and die their best to give welcome to the strangers, who. appreciating the posi tion, gave no outward sign of being ill at ease. It subsequently transpired hotel accommodation had been booked and the proprietor advised as to the arriva and departure times, but the club re ■ceived no communication whatever. This, howver, is not the only grievance the local club has against the ruling body. The New Zealand Council has distributed advertising matter though none was received at Hawera The council has also photo blocks ol the Americans for publicity purposes which were expected to arrive three days before the sports, but none ar rived. 'This possibility was foreseer and the probability of -such a positior arising was pointed out by a wellknown sports writer, Mr W. F. Ingram. in the “New Zealand Sportsman” of January 31. Mr Ingram who was then on tour with the team when at Masterton saw the official? and asked for the blocks in order tlial be could take them to Nauier in gone time for insertion in the evening paper, hut they were not available. However, due to the energy of Mi Ingram, the blocks arrived in Napioi by the night’s train and. by energetic work on the part of the secretary they were secured in time for publication in the morning paper, bavins lost- the additional puhlicitv whirl would have been given had the block? been available for the evening paper The blocks were then sent to Gisborne and from Gisborne to Auckland. Fron the latler city the much wanted block? failed to reach Hawera. Tt is ridiculous to expect one set o . blocks to do New Zealand, with the possible chance of hold-up from any cause, which actually happened at Ha j Vera. This economy may save a fen J shillings at headquatrers at the cos: lof many pounds to a country centre. . The local club consider that the Nei\ j Zealand Council has shown disrespeci land incompetence, which is borne om by the following facts: The club tele graphed the council on Wednesday j February 4, asking that- Rose com- ; pete at Hawera and arranged tin j programme accordingly, but no reply has been received. It was learnei from Kiser that- Rose was expecting to compete at New Plymouth and nol at Hawera. The club was told tlial Kiser would start in 880 and 440 Eater Kiser said lie was told to star! in 880 only. Through lack of courtesy by the J ruling body the Hawera Club has beer , put to much uncalled for expense. The Iclub officials, following precedent, bought trophies. However, Rothert. the team’s captain, advised that the Now Zealand Council had isaid that the visitors were to take orders- only . and present them to the New Zealand i Council. I Signs are not wanting that the New | Zealanel Amateur Athletic Association is becoming too. big for the controlling body to handle. It behoves the council to pay a little more attention |to the wishes and requirements of the country clubs, from which some of its most successful and prominent nlh- : lotos are drawn, as witness the Taijhape middle distance runner Don | Evans, New Plymouth hop, step and j jump champion G. Sullivan, Hawera I Empire champion S. A. Lay. and the famous miler R. A. Rose, a hill country fanner.