"A DISGRACEFUL SCENE."

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15, 19 January 1914, Page 6

"A DISGRACEFUL SCENE."

FRACAS AT A SPORTS MEETING

[to the. editor,!

,{3i rj :__Our :Ai*e>iatioji lias bee*L.draw»l to paragraphs' a;j»rKja«ng'in the Evening Post and v'l%e Dominion .-news-i papers of; this city under the above' headings describing the alleged fracas which occurred at the Waitata Bay aborts on 30th ult. The1 reports are stated to have beeh taken from your paper. % were members of a, party of nine, including some members of the Star- Boating Club, which spent a week in the Sounds during the Christmas holidays, and all our party TKero present.at the sports. We have ao hesitation in saying that the irejiorte of the1 proceedings which we Save read aro _ grossly exaggerated, amd wo cannot imagine that your informant was in his right senses wnen fee made such "statements to your stepresentative. In the first place, •there were not GOO people present—2oo would be aiearer the mark. Secondly, wour informant's statement! that **about forty aggravated iand drunken persons participated in an ignomini«lus contest"; :£<» utter rubbish. There were only, four drunken persons in the whole crowd; and one of these was when jke arrived. How your, ihformanii multiplies four > drunken persons into about forty ditto, puzzles u& completely. Perhaps the sun "was too hot for him I Thirdly, what trouble •flxere was did not arise out of dissatisfaction :a$ tihe handicapping in ijhe launch race. It arose because the launch first) past the winning post had, Waited half a!minute too soon! It's aews to us that' "the race was won With ease by % launch in which the Kandicappera.had a proprietary interest." " "The several dissatisfied Oaes who were in an extremely bellitiose mood' oil 'acoouht of the large quantities of .beer they had imbibed" neccisited only in. the fertile iion of youn -informant.^r^The only man who . vsra^'Cfesatisned/ was ihe tfivner of the launch which was disqualified, ■ and he, though angry, was quite sober. There was a lot of ex- j citement at the prospect of a fight between this jnan arid the ijudgejibuti tine ivroj Ttt&Uim&re. .^keptP^pkrfc.'":^Pwo"'! **djunks", AV'ei^--^ii:^e-irf^ntiTOe,i phaL ■ j Jengm^'kili^afejl-. -i^^^^i^ip^MiiM. '?i^^^io^*a4^-f#wMf slyvsr£ ariyeme/: There were ''nob 'half a dozen" blows struck during the whole1' trouble. Tour infpemanti ihas cast a most undeserved slur on the Turner family. We unhesitatingly assert that the greatest credit is due to the Turners for the way the sports.were conducted, and for thek successfuji efforts to prevent, the. trouble spreading. ; We •write this1-letter purely a$ a matter of fdir play'and"m order>tJiat the; facts of the occurrence may be placed before the ;publiov ■■' ' H.. El • GIRDLESTONE. l ; W. PERRY. ' Wellington,; January 16, 1914. ' '