LAWN TENNIS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10301, 4 November 1911, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS.

The interprovinciai match between Canter* ' bury and Otago will bo played iu Dunedin on Saturday, November 11. southern, players wished to fix the date" later ia the month, but Canterbury could not agree, ; and the match will take place on Saturdayweek. : A first-class committee, not afraid of work, with an energetic secretary in Mr 6. L. Berry, gives the Avonside Club splendid prospect* tor the coming: season. There is more enthusiasm in the management of this club than in any other in North Canterbury, and forty new members before the opening' day, shows this enthusiasm is contagious. The presence of a number of Timaru. players in Christchurch for the match between the Timaru Club and the United Club, / gave the southern players a chance of dis- ' cussing the question of a new association for' , South Canterbury. The conference was quite informal, but Mr Revell, who ,remained in, Christchurch until Wednesday, attended a. meeting o£ the Canterbury Association, and explained the views of his' district. Ha, pointed out that Inst year his club ha'd been granted permission to play unaffiliated club's ■ with the idea of persuading them to join the Association. The. results ha'd not been satisfactory,. for although there were fifteen to twenty clubs in South Canterbury onlyfive were affiliated, and it was impossible to make tho remainder see any advantage in coming in to the Association." The only way ; he saw out of the difficulty was to give South Canterbury some form of local government, and the direct control would undoubtedly have the effect of creating a, wider and a keener interest among- the clubs who, up to the present, saw no advantage in belonging- to an Association with its headquarters a hundred miles away. He emphasised the fact that these was no ill-feeling in Timaru over their request, but it 'wad solely in the interests of the game. Th*%r were not particularly anxious for a separata association if any other method of achieving; the desired result could be suggested. ' „ The members of the Canterbury Association who were present were fully alive tof the fairness ai the attitude taken up by Timaru, and assured Mr Revell that they ' were in complete sympthy with his ideas, bud expressed the hope that some plan, could be found that would obviate the need for setting up a separate association. A, Bub-committee, consisting- of Messrs GosSj ■ Ross, Aschnmn, Wright and Tayler, was sefc , up to consider the matter, and to- appoint '< delegates to attend a meeting to be held ia,'■'' Timaru, where the whole question will b« fully reviewed and the suggestions of th» committee of the Canterbury Association will be discussed. The balance-sheet of fhe New Zealand Association shows a loss on the year's workings It is a striking- comment that out of an income of £BS for the year, £SO was paid to tho secretary. The amount is altogether out of proportion, not to the work done perhaps, but to tho revenue. Tho : present secretarjj is competent and obliging, a.nd the criticism is not directed at him, but at a system thai exacts a heavy levy from associations,' merely to pay an official whose duties are largely l routine clerical work. If tho work done by, the secretary were paid for according to ordinary business standards, the present remuneration would be much below what iti should be; but tho government of lawn tennis in New Zealand is not a business. ]ii overf, branch of sport some enthusiasts have ,to make sacrifices, and surely Wellington could have found one who would have willingly; taken over this work. No one should b* asked tc give time and labour for but the. salary paid to the secretary of thsV' New Zealand Association is altogether W high for its slender finances. The result is. that this year, associations are being asied for double the subscription fees paid last year. The New Zealand Association has also de« cided that the control of the New Zealand championship meeting shall no longer b» in the hands of the Association in -whose dlsJ trict the tournament is held. Consequently this year, Canterbury will have practically; nothing to do with the championship meet-" ing to be held in Christchurch; for the paict secretary, to whom an extra £2O will paid, is to arrive a week or so before the beginning of the tournament and take oves' the entire management. Of course, nssocU. ations will be asked to find this «xtra £2O, to* enabLe the New Zealand Association to do 4, work thut could have been done just as! eft', ficiently by local enthusiasts. The wholtf matter provides a case of centralisation runmad. At present the Centre holding the New>; Zealand championship is entitled to half th» profits. 'The next step is obvioun: for if tW New Zealand Association runs the tournaj. ment itself, and the local Association is re- ' legated to the position of a mere looker-on'?' surely the whole profits of the tournament. should go to the New Zealand Association? If, fcr the future, it intends to pay £7(j a year to the secretary, it will certainly*. seed every penny.