DAVIS CUP CONTEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18324, 14 February 1923, Page 9

DAVIS CUP CONTEST.

CONDITIONS ALTERED. NEW ZEALAND GIVEN VOTE. [FROM OT7R OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON, Jan. 4. Since 1913 efforts have been made to revise the regulations governing the Davis Cup tennis championship. Certain amendments were approved at a meeting held in London on July 7, 1922. A meeting wa'a held in America subsequently, when further amendments were suggested. Representatives of most of the countries competing in the international championship have now met and a final draft of the new regulations has been approved. The following were present: Messrs. R. V T. McNair and A. E. M. Taylor (British Isles), Dr. J. M. Flavelle (Australia), P., W. Rootham and F. W. Woodward (New Zealand), A. J. Nicholls (Canada), L. R. Clarke (South Africa), and representatives of Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Italy and Japan. Mr. H. W. Slocum (United States) stated that the meeting had been called at the request of the, United States Lawn Tennis Association, and on his proposal it was unanimously decided that Mr. Taylor be appointed chairman.

Mr. Rootham asked that New Zealand be accorded the right to vote. New Zea- j land add Australia, he said, had taken part in the competitions under the stylo of " Australasia," 'and now that they were separated he considered that New Zealand was entitled to vote as a separate unit. After a brief discussion it was unanimously decided that New Zealand be accorded the right to vote. '■ The meeting then considered the regulations seriatim. It was unanimously decided that the new regulations should govern the 1923 competitions. ■,•...;• . Rule 2 (specifies the qualifications necessary for a country to compete, the latest list of such countries • being: Australia, Belgium, British Isles, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Hawaii, Holland. India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Rumania, South Africa, Spain and America; • , ; j . ' •■■;.

Geographical Sections. . Rule 4is entirely new: "This competi-. tion shall be divided into two geographical sections, one to be called the American Group and the other the European Group. Each nation . shall state ' when sending in its challenge, in which group it intends to compete, and subject to any two nations mutually agreeing otherwise for their own tie, all' nations competing in the European Group shall play their ties within the confines of Europe, and all nations competing in the American Group shall play their ties outside the confines of Europe." ' Dr. F. Flavelle stated that Australians were not in favour of the present wording of regulation 20 relating to the qualification of players. He asked the meeting to eliminate the clause providing that a player having once represented a nation should represent no other nation." They preferred the old regulation by which a player could qualify by two years' residence. This amendment was not carried Rule. 11 now reads: " The challenge tie shall be played. in the country of tho champion nation at a date to be agreed upon by the competing nations." The clause providing for arbitration in the event of an agreement not being arrived at has now been deleted. Deficient Receipts. Provision is made for the payment of expenses when the gate receipts are inadequate. Rule 15 reads: "In the case of every tie when money is taken there shall be paid out of the gross receipts first, the general expenses, and, secondly, subject to regulation 17, the travelling expenses and the balance, if any, shall be divided between the two competing nations in equal shares. - "If the gross receipts from any tie played in the country of one of the competing nations shall be insufficient to meet the general expenses, the deficincy shall be borne by the nation in whose country the tie shall be played, and each competing nation shall pay its own travelling expenses. ~; '* ■' . ' f' ''':'. ;" If the gross receipts from- any tie played in a neutral country shall be insufficient to meet (a) the general expenses, or .;' (b) be sufficient \to meet ' the general travelling expenses,' then and in such case any deficiency under (a) shall be borne by 1 the competing nations in equal shares, and each competing nation shall pay. its own 1 travelling expanses, and any surplus of receipts over general expenses , under (b) ! shall be credited to the two competing nations in proportion to their respective travelling expenses, each competing nation paying the balance of its own travelling expenses." .'v Defaulting Nations. An important addition to the regulations is No. 18 making provision for defaulting nations. " If any nation after approving of arrangements made for playing a tie, shall fail to send a team to compete in such tie, the nation so defaulting shall pay and defray al! general and or travelling expenses incurred by the other nation or nations concerned in the tie up to the date when notice of default shall be received by such nation or nations and until all claims in-respect of same shall have been fully paid and satisfied, the defaulting nation shall be ineligible for the com-/ petition." ■ . , • *''. Having regard to the universal character of the competition both the New.Zealand and the South African delegates expressed the view that it might be desirable to play the competition at " intermittent periods say, every two or three years, instead of annually. The suggestion ; was, also made that an international pool might be initiated with a view to assisting nations whose financial position was not such as to enable them to compete. The feeling of the meeting was that the working of the new regulations should be observed, and that these suggestions could be considered later on if deemed advisable. - , Both the delegates for Denmark ■and: Holland formally protested against >egula tion 35 including the ' ex-enemy ' nations.'