CRICKET DISPUTE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11304, 1 September 1922, Page 7

CRICKET DISPUTE

ENGLISH TEAM S TOUB WELLINGTON ASSOCIATION AND NEW ZEALAND COUNCIL "NOT FAIRLY TREATED." At last night’s meeting of the execiVT live of the Wellington Cricket Association the position in regard to the impending tour of Captain McLaien’s English ;e.:ni was made quite clear to the Wellington public. When the matter was first mooted by tho New Zealand Cricket Council it was stated all the local associations were kept in the dark as to the proposed arrangements. Repeated applications were made to the council for an estimate of tile probable expenditure necessary, so that the affiliated associations might have an idea of the amount of ,their prospective liabilities arid receipts. ASSOCIATION’S OFFER. 'lt was felt by the WeUington Cricket Association that, were local associations given a direct interest in the "gate," it would tend to a much better financial lesult. Having this object in view, the Wellington Association approached the' New Zealand Council, and submitted, for the council’s consideration; three propositions:— (1) A Blraightout guarantee of -£4OO for one match. {2) A sliding scale of gate percentages, viz., 10 por cent, for £IOO net profits, 15' per cent for £150,' 20 pen* Cent: fbr £2OO, 25 per cent, for £250, and so on, up to a maximum of 40 per cent. (3) The local association offered to manage the local and test matches for' 25 per cent, of the profits, agreeing fit the same time to find 25 per cent, of any losses. No satisfactory reply to these offers has been received from the New Zealand Council, whose attitude in the matter is that all the proceeds of the various matches must be pooled, and that, after thus securing a fund os a nucleus to en-' able the New Zealand teams to pay for the overseas visits, anv profits resulting must be divided between the various affiliated associations, in such manner as the New Zealand Council may direct... WHAT THE COUNCIL’S OFFER MEANS "So far as Wellington is concerned, the association points out that the council’s suggestion- is equivalent to an offer of 10, per cent, of the net profits of any match. As regards the WeUington match, computed on. the figures of the last Australian tour, it means that the WeUington Association would, in aU probability, be expected to control • a 'three-days? match, the outcome of which might show a profit to this association of from £25 to £SO onlv—manifestly, a most unfair and unsatisfactory position. It is weU known,that the income derived from .purely local matches is ugoally insufficient to cover the expenditure; and the only way the same can be made to prosper is by the additional income which can be secured only when teams visit this country from Australia or England. Meantime, it is known that the -McLaren' team is coming; and the Wellington Association is in the position that it has not the least idea what income it is going to derive from the visit, or even if it is to derive anything at aIL It is pointed ont that the Wellington Association is, in every way, a most ef-> Bciont body. It has Tun its matches and . has given better returns than any other cricket association in the Dominion; and it claims that,' in order to secure a proper return, some material incentive must he given to the local body. ‘ ' ' AN IMPABS& • Finally, to effect some reasonable understanding with the Nqw Zealand Council, it was decided at last night’s meeting of the Wellington Association to' send the following letter to the oodncil, signed by the - secretory;— ' “Your lest 'letter was considered at h meeting of my committee last dVendngt With reference to the concluding paragraph, my committee feel that anything cf an aoademio nature in the' correspondence that has .passed between us has been on the part of the oouneiL AU along we have endeavoured to be strictly practical. We have asked for definite information and have submitted definite .proposals to yon;’but wo have never had a definite reply. - -• "Under the circumstances we fieel we can do nothing further: and we ere now handing the whole of the correspondence to.the Press, so that the public may see and judge the position for themselves."