NORTH V. SOUTH TARANAKI

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1933, Page 9

NORTH V. SOUTH TARANAKI

SWIMMERS’ BOGEY ATTACKED CENTRE CHAIRMAN SPEAKS OUT. QUESTION OF STRAYING LETTER. APPEAL FOR .UNITY IN SPORT. The elusive bogey of “North v. South Taranaki” opposition in swimming circles received a telling blow from the chairman of the Taranaki Swimming Centre (Mr. F. J. Eggleton) at a fully attended meeting at New Plymouth last night. The secretary (Miss B. Gayton) reported that the Inglewood club delegate had telephoned her on February 1 complaining that he had not received notification of the centre meeting the pre- ! vious night, when the Inglewood dele- - gates particularly wished to be present to" discuss the sending' of a polo team to the New Zealand championships. Miss Gayton wrote insisting that the notice had been sent in company with the * , other usual ones and received a reply stating that no letter of the kind had reached Inglewood. " .1; :. , The Inglewood reply went on to state: .' “As we especially wished to be represented at the meeting we consider that the northern delegates did not consider the south delegates in the matter of sending a team to Napier. On interviewing .the other southern delegates we found that they were all in favour of sending a team. We consider that the centre might at least have held the matter over until the views of the southern delegates could be ascertained on such an important matter. On making enquiries at Hawera we found that the Stratford and Hawera delegates did not receive notification in time to make arrangements to, travel , to. New Plymouth, while the Eltham delegate did not receive notice at all, because when the Eltham secretary received the notice it was too late to get in touch with the delegate.” Mr. W. A. Spragg said the Hawera club had not been communicated with by < Inglewood officially and the notice had been received in plenty of time. “I think- there is a little too much f of the North v. South idea creeping in,” commented. Mr.- Eggleton. “I have been connected with swimming for a' • long time and I have, been careful not ' to take a parochial attitude. I think that when matters such as these are . raised they should be smashed. As ” chairman I take strong (exception to this letter and I hope that rthese North and South suggestions will be stopped. We have it in swimming, we have it in i 1 cricket, we have it in football, and all at a time when what we want for progress is unity.

“I. hope that, when delegates go back to their clubs . they -will 1 see that this suggestion is dropped,” said the chairman. “I can say that no. northern club is adopting an attitude of opposition.” As for the suggestion that the notice riot received"'"at" Ihglewod had riot been issued, Mr. Eggleton said they had Miss Gayton’s word that it had “ beeri'""seriV That was proof enough; doubtless the notification was mislaid somewhere.

The decision of the previous meeting, from which the Inglewood, Hawera and Eltham delegates were absent, was rescinded after Inglewood’s proposition had been heard, and on the Inglewood club’s guarantee to donate £5 towards the expenses and to assure, a maximum cost to the centre of £lO Ils it was decided to send a Taranaki polo team to the national swimming championships at Napier from Sunday till Wednesday.