BOXING AND WRESTLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20560, 10 May 1930, Page 14

BOXING AND WRESTLING.

Sir—l regret to see that your paper featured a recent Donovan-Sarron fight by a largo picture thereof. In the same issue is a letter from Sydney telling of the great attendances at toe "ponies," the "dogs," and boxing, in spito of hard times, and say: "Someone must be going short; perhaps the butcher and the baker, and so on." This orgy of reckless extravagance is ruining Australia, and like, sport-madness will do the same for this Dominion, if not arrested. That our police should be called upon to shoulder the responsibility of issuing permits for boxing and wrestling contests is a sin and shame. Having issued permits, the polico look on at the dealing of foul-blows, tho dislocating of joints, tho breaking of bones and ferocious and malicious assaults, without intervention or subsequent prosecution. And that is tho interpretation of the law against assault which is being tamely accepted by sanit, which is being tamely accepted by the public, and that is what we are taxed to pay our police to do! The time is overripe for press, pulpit and platform to unite in condemnation of these cruel and vicious practices and to demand that they cease. ,T. G. Hughes.