CRICKET AND POLITICS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 83, 20 March 1934, Page 10

CRICKET AND POLITICS

Premier’s Sudden Joy TRANSFER OF BRADMAN An appeal by the acting-Premier of Victoria, Mr. Menzies, that newspapers should report cricket matches as a game and leave cricket politics alone was one of the topics at a farewell luncheon to the Australian team which is going to England. Mr. Menzies said he was not sure the public wanted to be told that someone was digging a hole in the pitch, and that subsequently the statement had been watered down to.the removal of a rose leaf or something. Cricket was the greatest game in the world, and they wanted to know about the game and nothing else. Cricket had become a factor in Australian politics. The speaker referred to the grievance against the Commonwealth of the Premier of Western Australia, Mr. Collier, because Bromley had gone from the west to Victoria, and to a sudden expression of joy by the South Australian Premier, Mr. Butler, at the recent Premiers’ Conference. When Mr. Butler was asked the reason for his change from gloom to happiness he replied, “Sydney has arranged to let us have Bradman.’’ In politics the financial agreement came first in importan\>, said Mr. Menzies. The Victorian Government was second, but third in importance was the interchange of cricketers between the States to redress the balance of power.