SOCCER TOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26472, 28 May 1947, Page 6

SOCCER TOUR

CANCELLATION LIKELY AIR TRAVEL DIFFICULTY EFFORTS TO CHARTER PLANE P.A. WELLINGTON, May 27. Unless definite trans-Tasman air transport arrangements can be made by 5 p.m. to-morrow, the New Zealand tour by the South African Association football team will be cancelled. This decision was reached at to-night’s meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Football Association. This bombshell in the Soccer world nullifies the keen efforts by the New Zealand authorities to make the tour possible. Many difficulties have already been overcome. , The transTasman transport difficulty had been foreseen, but it was thought to have been provided for. It was stated at to-night’s meeting that a cablegram had been receivedfrom Australia on May 12 stating that a firm of travel agents had pencilled air passages for the South African players. When the New Zealand Tourist Department communicated with its Sydney branch last week, however, it was discovered that no passages had been booked. The Tourist Department telephoned its Sydney branch again on Monday, and was informed that there was no possibility of the South African players securing passages from Australia to New Zealand. It was considered in Australia that the best way out of the difficulty would be to charter a plane in New Zealand to go across and bring the South Africans over. ’With this in view, the Tourist Department in Wellington communicated with Tasman Airways at Auckland. The acting secretary of the New Zealand Council, Mr W. L. Wilson, told the meeting that the Australian Government was adamant in its refusal of priorities to athletic teams. The present position regarding the chartering of a plane in New Zealand was that Tasman Airways would provide a plane provided there was sufficient time to service it before it was called into use. That point had been under consideration, and a reply' from Tasman Airways to the Tourist Department had been expected by 5 p.m. today. No reply had been received half an hour before the council met af 7.30 p.m. , .. _ The chairman of the meeting, Mr L. Munro then telephoned to the officer of the Tourist Department who was endeavouring to overcome the difficulty for the council, and stated that the council thought it would be impossible to continue with the tour as essential local arrangements could no longer be deferred. The chairman informed the meeting that the tourist officer considered Tasman Airways were making every effort to provide the charter, and he expected a reply to-morrow. The meeting then decided that In the event of satisfactory arrangements for trans-Tasman air transport not being completed by 5 p.m. to-morrow, the South African tour should be cancelled. It was further resolved that in the event of cancellation, the, trial matches for Christchurch and Wellington should also be cancelled, and the season’s programme, as drawn up before the proposals for the South African tour were made, should be reverted to.