THE UNIVERSITY TOURNAMENT.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20495, 14 March 1932, Page 10

THE UNIVERSITY TOURNAMENT.

POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. STUDENTS* FORCED ECONOMIES. It is possible that the annual interUnivcrsity tournament, which was this year to have been held in Wellington at Easter, will be cancelled. For . very many years now, the tournament, at which teams from all four of the Colleges of the University of New Zealand compete, has been held at each of the four centres in turn during the short Easter vacation. The training of the Canterbury College teams has been going on for many weeks, and the selection is now being made of those to represent the College. Owing to recent announcements affecting students financially in many ways, the Canterbury College Tournament Committee at an emergency meeting on Saturday morning, decided to make a recommendation to the Executive of the Students' Association that the holding of the intcr-Uniyersity Easter Tournament be suspended until further notice. At the same time it was decided to find out from the Tournament Committees of Auckland and Victoria University Colleges aud of Otago University whether they agreed. It is expected that replies will be to hand for the meeting of the Executive to-night, when the matter will probably be decided as far as Canterbury is concerned. Even before the recent proposals of the Economy Commission to reduce Training College students' allowances by 50 per cent, and more, and to abolisn all University bursaries form the beginning of next year, a doubt was expressed by students in some quarters as to the advisability of continuing the tournament while the financial position was as it is at present. Members of the Executive at Canterbury College believe that the student authorities of the other University Colleges will not object to abandoning the tournament now that, the strictest economies are necessary. Statement by President. Mr J. G. D. Ward, president of the Canterbury University College Students' Association and chairman of the Canterbury Tournament Committee, stated to a representative of The Pbess that it was felt that the money spent on the tournament directly and indirectly both by tournament representatives and ' by other students throughout New Zealand could better be devoted to other purposes. If the Victoria. University. College Tournament Committee were unable to make the tournament pay, as a result of decreased takings at the gates, the loss would have to be borne by all four Students' Associations, and this they could ill afford. As it was, decreased enrolments this year meant depleted Students' Association finances, and it would be difficult to carry on the ordinary activities of the Association.. Clubs would receive smaller grants and would have* to levy subscriptions on members in addition to, the main subscription to the Association; and if the Executive had to spend a large sum on the tournament the indirect burden on all students would be much heavier still. While the annual tournament was practically the only way for students of the University of New Zealand to get to know each other, divided as they were among four University Colleges, it seemed that a sacrifice was demanded, and Canterbury College at least was wilHns to forgo the tournament •in order to relieve the poorer students of the burden. It was possible, however, stated Mr Ward, that an Inter-Univers-ity athletic meeting might be arranged, instead of the full tournament, which, comprises athletics, tennis, swimming, basketball, boxing, shooting, and rowing, and requires about sixty representatives from each College. According to Mr E. A. Young, captain of'the Tennis Club, and others, while some representatives are willing and able to pay the part of their expenses which the Executive's grant will not cover, there are many who are not in a position to pay anything, and if the tournament were held these students would be unable to be taken, notwith- j standing their qualifications in sport.