INTERNATIONAL TUG-OF-WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 31

INTERNATIONAL TUG-OF-WAR.

The international tug-of-war was continued at the Garrison Hall on Friday evening. The attendance was the largest since the commencement of the contest, and this no doubt was due to the fact that the Maoris, whose fame had preceded theni from Christchurch, made their first appearance in Dunedin. In accordance with the result of the ballot the Scotch team met the visitors, and as both teams took their places on the staging they were greeted with hearty rounds of applause. It was quite apparent that in physique the Maoris were much superior to their opponents. The former were all magnificent specimens of manhood, and weighed in the aggregate some 7stmore than their opponents. The rope was released from the clamp shortly after 8, and the Maoris, responding to the call of their leader, Mr J. W. H. Uru, who was attired in the national dress of his race, and carried in his hand a mere mere, soon gained an advantage. The Scots pulled all they knew to keep the rope moving towards their side, but in vain, for slowly but surely the centre knot was carried in the opposite direction, and at the expiration of lh 24min the victory rested with the Maoris. The latter were splendidly captained by Uru, the well-known wrestler. Ireland No. 1 next met Ireland No. 2, but they made but a sorry defence. The programme set forth that the next contest would take place between England and Scotland, to be followed by New Zealand and China. A meeting of the committee (each team being represented) was held immediately prior to the evening's entertainment, and it was decided that, instead of the programme being adhered to as printed, the Maoris should again enter the arena and contest with Scotland No. 2. This arrangement was arrived at in order that the Maoris should make up the two pulls necessary to place them oh an equal footing with the other teams. Owing to what is said to be a misunderstanding, these arrangements were not carried out, and in consequence the proceedings terminated in some disorder. When Mr Uru was requested to get his men together,..<he stated that at the conclusion of their pull the judges had informed them that they would not be wanted again that evening, seeing the hour was so late. Some of the members of the team immediately left the hall, and it was then a matter of impossibility to get them together again. As the other teams understood they also were not to pull again, most of the members had separated. Under these circumstances, it was decided that no other course was left open to the promoters than to close the entertainment. When the band played "God save the Queen " — the usual signal for departure — a large section of the audience immediately made a hostile demonstration, which was kept up for a considerable time. They demanded a return of the entrance money, and gathered outside the door of one of the rooms in which were the promoters and some of the committee. At one time it was thought that the room would be rushed, and it required a strong effort to keep the door closed, owing to the outside pressure brought to bear upon it. However, the arrival of several members of the police farce had a pacifying effect, and Mr Cameron then Qxpla.in.ed how t c contretemps had occurred. Comments were freely made, however, on the aotion of the judges in not appearing to explain their action in dismissing the Maori team, when it had been deoided they wore to pull against the Scotoh No. 2, It was claimed that the public had a grievance on this, account; that an explanation should have been given, and that the whole affair wore a doubtful aspect Eventually those present reoeived a pass for next ovening's contest, and the proceedings terminated.

The International Tug-of-War, which was to have been continued on Saturday at the Garrison Hall was postponed until Monday evening. This action was taken in view of the unfortunate contretemps which had ocenrred on the previous evening, At 8 p.m. on Saturday a meeting of the representatives of the different teams was held in the officers,' room at the hall. Mr D. C. Cameron presided on behalf of the promoters, and Messrs J. B. Thomson and S, Myers, tho judges, were ftlso present. The Chairman explained that the object of the meeting was to oonsider the difficulty that had arisen on the previous evening in consequence of the Maori team not meeting Scotland No. 2, as previously arranged by the committee. He had been informed that afternoon by the representatives of five teams that they would take no further part in the contest unless the Maori team was exoluded. Under these ciroumstances he deemed it advisable to oall a meeting of all the representatives to consider the situation. As those present knew, the difficulty arose through the judges informing Mr Uru, the captain of the Maoris, that his men would not be wanted again that evening.

Messrs Myers and Thomsqn endorsed this statement, and expressed their regret that their error had led to such an unfortunate result. They both expressed the opinion that no contest should commence after 10 o'clook, and at the time they spoke to Mr Uru they thought that suoh was the genaral understanding. Several suggestions were made as to how the difficulty could be dealt with, and eventually it was resolved that the pull which should have taken plaoe between the Maoris and Sotjfcland No. 2 on Friday evening should he counted as a win for Scotland and a loss for the Maoris, Mr Uru making no objection. It was also unanimously agreed that the Maoris should pull two teams on Monday evening, A ballot was taken and resulted as follows i —

Maoris v. England Ireland No. fv, China Maoris v. Ireland No, 8,

There wag a very large gathering on Monday night to witness the continuation of the contests, The fl.rat bwt was between

the Maoris and England. It was expected that this would prove a prolonged and severe tussle, and at first it seemed likely that it would be so. The interest taken in the meeting of these teams was very great, and a semi-inebriated individual in the gallery wrought himself up to a state of intense excitement over it. He was apparently a seafaring man, for he expressed his conviction that a sailor's pull was what was required, and he called out to the rear-end men of the English team to "lay hold, aft !" Then, when the rope was released from the clamp and the strain of the pull was put upon it, he rushed to a position in the gallery immediately above the clock, from which he looked down upon the Englishmen, whom he sought to encourage by singing a nautical chorus. He had previously endeavoured to induce a Chinese to bet a shilling with him upon the result, and it was as well for him that the Mongolian would not be persuaded, for when Uru, the Maori captain, called upon his men they simply pulled the English off their feet and gained the mastery in smin 19sec. The next struggle was between Ireland No. 1 and China. It was supposed that the former, who had not been defeated on any of the three previous nights, had a soft thing on the present occasion, and that they would make short work of their opponents, but this was far from bein^ the case. The Chinese offered a valiant resistance, and the sympathies of the mass of the spectators being with them, as the weaker side, they were encouraged with ringing cheers. Their own countrymen, who mustered in such strong force that they must have formed about one-half of the total number of spectators in the gallery, were the most stolid and undemonstrative of the whole of the large assemblage, but for all that the intentness with which they watched the proceedings showed how interested they were. The Irish had to do all the pulling — the Chinese were content to remain on the defensive and hold their ground, and for a long time they succeeded. As the Irishmen were powerless to move the Mongols the latter were loudly cheered, and their cautain caused considerable amusement by his good-natured banter of the .other side. The beads of perspiration that were every now and then wiped by the captains from the faces of their men, told of the severity of the tussle, and occasional recourse was had to liquid refreshment and to a preparation for enabling the hands to get a good grip of the rope. Inch by inch the Irishmen asserted their superiority, but 39min 7sec had passed before the electric signal proclaimed that they had got the Chinese over the mark. The Maoris had next to face Ireland No. 2, and this bout resulted in another victory for them. They took matters more easily this time, and could have disposed of their opponents, if they had been so inclined, in much less time than was actually occupied, but when once they started in real earnest they pulled the rope hand over hand across the limit. The time was lOmin 25sec. The Natives were warmly applauded on their victory, and the cheers were renewed in honour of Uru (the captain), when the band struck up "For he s a jolly good fellow." The third contest of the evening being concluded before 10 o'clock, Scotland No. 2 had, in accordance with the conditions set forth in the programme, to meet New Zealand. Here a difficulty arose. It was understood, until the matter was arranged on Saturday night, that there would be no competition until Tuesday night, and some of the New Zealanders, who work out of town, could not be apprised in time of the altered circumstances, which necessitated their appearance last night. There were five of them absent and the five vacancies were filled by persons chosen in the hall. The Scotchmen objected to this and claimed the pull by default. However, on the circumstances being explained, the feeling of the crowd was declared so strongly against the position taken up by the Scotchmen, that their captain, bowing to public opinion in the matter, consented to pull the match. The New Zealand team had certainly not been improved by the alteration in the personnel, but they were, nevertheless, able to win, the struggle lasting, however, for 18min 9sec. The victory was a very popular one — to a large extent owing to the attitude taken by the Scotchmen — and the air was rant with cheers when the pistol fired.

The contest was advanced another stage on Tuesday night, amid the unabated interest of a great number of spectators. The first contest was between Scotland No. 2 and China. As the Chinese filed on to the platform neatly attired, with white singlets and red sashes round their waists, and with their queues neatly tied up in knots, they looked, with their spare though muscular frames, and their hard looking swarthy faces, opponents riot to be despised. It was a laughable coincidence that the tune which the band played as this team marched on was " Home, sweet home." The other team evidently made little of them, as they were sitting down with only eight men, but the Chinese captain magnanimously desired that the vacancies should be filled up, which they were. The Chinese met the repeated surges of the Scotchmen with passive resistance until at the end of 4-min 25sec a mightier effort brought the knot hand over hand to the Scottish side, amid cheers for the vanquished Celestials and their smiling and jolly captain. Sootland No, X next met Ireland No. 2. The former team filed on, keeping step to tho tune " Scots wha' b,ao"bythe band, and the latter to "Qarryowen." The Irishmen, all young fellows, made a gallant fight, contesting every inch, amid the cheers of their sympathisers, and it wa.s not until the struggle had lasted 63min 28seo that the knot passed the final oleet, and even then the last half-inch was stubbornly contested. The Irishmen were rapturously applauded for their gallant, though fruitless, struggle. It was now nearly 10 o'clock and it had been intimated that no fresh contest would he entered upon after 9.45, hut notwithstanding this the jjnglish and New Zealand teams made their appearance. In this contest also the weights were very unequal, and the only hope in favour of the New JSealanders was that they would wear their opponents down from want of condition, Victory at first inclined to the Colonial side, but the Englishmen's first united effort gave them the advantage, which they steadily increased notwithstanding the desperate efforts of their lighter opponents, whose want of praofcice was evident from the manner In which they fell over the rope. At IQ.3Q there only remained two cleets hefcween the Englishmen and victory, and at 10.33 it was all over. The Englishmen, besides being heavier, were muoh better in hand than their opponents, and responded to the calls with more unanimity, The time was 22min Bseo, The contest will be continued, on Friday evening.

A bal oh of " Picturesque Atlas " oases oams an for hearing in the R.M. Court, Nelson on Tuesday before Mr Lowther Broad, R.M. So far two oases only have been finished, in both of which Bowerman Bros, were successful. Defendants in eaoh case denied signing the orders produoed, but the magistrate held that the signatures were genuine, and gave judgment for plaintiffs, with, costs.