AN ELTHAM ECHO

NZ Truth, Issue 483, 19 September 1914, Page 6

AN ELTHAM ECHO

To Billy Hannan's Wail. "The Second" is m receipt of a letter from W. T. Bailey, of Eltham, Taranaki, under date September 8, upon which comment is needless: — In your pugr pars of the issue before last you acknowledge a "wall" from Bill Hanhan of West Maltland. I am glad to notice, however, that you refrain from passing comment thereon before hearing the other side of the affair. As one. of the main movers m the proposed match let me place the facts before you: When we (the Eltham Sports and Pastimes Club) approached Htinnan to see if he were willing to fight Hagerty, he expressed himself somewhat as follows: "I'm willing to do so anywhere, at any time, for any suitable purae, providing £15 is allowed for expenses." Wo immediately got Into touch Hagerty and matters were practically nil arranged when der Kaiser ov de Vaterland considered he had a prior claim to have a "go" ut John Bull and Co. The aforesaid Hagerty immediately volunteered as one of "John Bull and Co's" seconds and we perforce had to abandon our little affair. ' Now, our time for action was short and so we invoked the aid of "Truth" office In Sydney by cable,, to prevent Billy from wasting his time and substance on a fruitless cruise across the briny. We followed this up with a letter explaining the matter to Billy and asked him to be satisfied with the £12 10/- we had already forwarded to him for expenses. "Second:" Do you not think this was a "Square Deal"? Mind I don't mean a Massey one, you know. If Billy "wails" loud enough under such treatment us to be heard by you, from Maitland to Wellington, goodness only knows what kind of a "whale" he would put up if he were really treated badly. You will understand , that this £1--10- has been a direct loss to us and certainly Hannan's expenses m connection with the match would hardly have amounted to this before ho sailed, especially as JC IS was to covor the whole amount. I would Hko you to acknowledge our explanation m your next issue, as we are ''good sports" m }31tham and would sooner give up roading "Truth" than* do any action likoly to effect clean sport. In conclusion, 1 would say that If Billy still walls over his treatment by us, and spoils for the flght with Hagerty, let him Join the Germans and keep his "weather eye" open for Hagerty m the Allies' lines.