CRICKET AND POLITICS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1934, Page 9

CRICKET AND POLITICS

PREMIER’S SUDDEN JOT. TRANSFER of BRADMAN. An appeal by the acting-Premier of Victoria, Mr. Menzies, that newspapers . should report cricket matches as a game and leave cricket politics alone was one of the topics at ,a farewell luncheon to the Australian team which is going to England. ' . ..■ : - . ' Mr. Menzies said he was not “'public wanted to be told that someone was digging a hole in the pitch, that subsequently the statement had been watered down to the removal of a rose leaf or something. Cricket was the greatest game in the world, and they wanted to know about the game and nothing else. Cricket become a factor in Australian politics. The speaker referred to the griev-:.: ance against the Commonwealth of the Premier of Western Australia, Mr. Collier,, because Bromley had gone from the west to Victoria, and to a sudden expression of joy by the South Australian Premier, Mr. Butler, at the recent Premiers’ Conference. When Mr. Butler was asked for his change from gloom to happiness he replied, “Sydney has arranged to let us have Bradman.” In politics the financial agreement ramp first in importance, said Mr. Menzies. The Victorian Government was second, but third in importance was the interchange of cricketers between the £ States to redress the balance of power.