SCHEDULED SCRAPS.

NZ Truth, Issue 473, 11 July 1914, Page 10

SCHEDULED SCRAPS.

July 22 and 23: New Zealand Championships at Wanganui. August 11.— Jimmy Hagerty v. Peter Cook, at Christchurch. THAT LEGAL STATUS. The Council Comes Again. When the annual Conference of Boxing Associations comes nigh the "hardy annual" of^ the New Zealand Boxing Council, for a legal status— to be placed m the position of absolute control (through the Associations) — comes from Christchurch. The Conference, this year- is to be held at Wanganui, and already the Atack-run concern of ■,' Christchurch has "put the pincers," and, once more, the Associations, great and small, , good, bad and indifferent, are, invited to lose their individuality and give over to a body of nobpdies, who hang out m ■ Christchurch, the • whole and sole - power of controlling . the sport, thus depriving the Associa- ; tions of a say m the matter. Frankly, as I have written before, the Associations, should they consent to this course, will regret it ever afterwards. . The \ Boxing Council 'is , a one-man ' body. is the same old crowd, year ', after, -year, and nobody to date has come to the conclusion that the Council is a useful body. On the contrary, it is a useless body; it is a joke m the sporting world; of. the Dominion, and ■ the object which it seeks to attain is,if anything at all, to cripple the sport of boxing.. The Writer has y ( et to learn that the various Associations m •New Zealand are not capable of properly conducting their business — that of making matches; and promoting " tournaments." At present the Council ,- is supposed, as a matter of courtesy, to be informed of what the Associations are doing, and it would be interesting to learn, what would 1 happen '-. should, by any chance, the Council inform an Association that it must not do this or do that. The probable, result would be that the Council would be told to gp to — pot; or somewhere .else. And it is because the. Council, or those .running it, are aware that it, or they, must not interfere too. much, because, it' has, or they have, not the power, to . interfere, that the muchdesired legal status is required. Should' the conference of representatives' from the Associations decide ,to igive the Council the! status asked for, : L '. or place it m <he position of being entitled to status, then, for. Boxing As- " r soclatibns' the outlook would be a bad 'one. Big, or Influential,, Associations could - command, op force a "square deal," but where would the smaller •and struggling Associations be? Writer learns from .; the Council itself that the. Council deserves well for its efforts to keep boxing clean (vide a letter from, the new patron, the Hon. A* L. Herdman), but; the Council has not done one-half of what it claims to have, done. As*- a plain matter of ..fact, the Boxing Council m Christchurch does not know, and cannot pretend to know, what is going on m. the boxing' world or New Zealand. "The' Second," if he were m the mind, could show how Secretary Atack and the whole crowd had, to be stirred up to keep boxing;, "clean." It is, presumably, on the strength ..of what the Council dlaims ■ to ,have done m Auck- . land, and. for 'tne sport m Auckland, that the Council, no w^ wants to be put m the position of controlling the sport, and over- riding the Associations; The Council did V nothing of its own accord. It had to be forced to do what it did, and^had not one or two, who are not connected with the Council, forced the hands of the Council, the sport might have suffered, not only m Auckland, but elsewhere. The Council is a dead body, it is worse— lt is a joke, and. the effort now being made to force the Associations, to sign their, .mteaphorically speaking, death warrants, is a piece of impudenco on the part of those who are connected * with boxing, because they have got on the Council;, and because tHe Associations thought it best to leave them there, because they could not do any. harm to anybody. If tho Associations conclude that there should bo a controlling body, as a Boxing Council, let them first of all elect to the Council men who are ,capabl© of controlling boxing. The Council has too long been a hopeless sort of body to .be regarded seriously, and . .it' could be regarded serlousljc only when tho Associations were represented on it by men, sports if you like, who are known m the 1 boxing world of the tho Dominion. For years and years . men have been on the Council who wore practically " "unknown out of Christchurch, and these men were "supposed" to be controlling boxing for the whole of New Zealand! Coul^ anything bo more farcical. If the Associations want a change, "The Second" commends to th&ir notice tho proposition which comes from the Nor-, them Boxing Association, and which is to tho effect that Tho governing body of tho Association shall be a committee of members representing the centres. Each pentre, excoptlng tho head- r

quarters centre, shall be represented on the Council by, two members, who shall be elected by the centre at its annual meeting, and who shall hold office until the appointment of their successors. The centre of the headquarters district shall be represented on the Council by five members, who shall be elected by the Council at its annual meeting, and who shall hold office until the appointment of their successors; provided that notification of all appointments hereinbefore mentioned shall be -given to the secretary of the Council within one month of such annual meeting. Should any vacancy occur on the Council, the .committee of the centre shall forthwith elect a representative to fill the vacancy. * The officers of the Association shall be members .of the committee, and such committee shall be known as the Council Committee. Even this presents a lot qf difficulties, but it will be seen that' "a legal status" is not set up. If ever it is, then the name of the Associations m New Zealand will be MUD.