No Australian Money For Girls' Marching Teams

Chronicle (Levin), 16 March 1949, Page 6

No Australian Money For Girls' Marching Teams

. - — ■>. — \ NEW PLYMOUTH, Mqreh 15. Despite an assurance by ofiicials of the New Zealand" Marching Union. that the Royal Sydney Show authorities were providing £1000 towards the cost of the New Zealand teams visiting the next Sydney Show, information has been received at New Plymouth from Sydney that no such grant hhs 'been made, it was revealed at a public meeting at New Plymouth tonight. The president _of the unio'n (Mr. L. E. Wright) and the seeretary (Mir. ■ C. Young), both of Wanganui; who were t invited to attend thejmeeting to make, an explanation did not do s6. " We spent a ^ouple of hours at Wanganui alloeating the £1000 we did not have," Mr. K. Ivil, organiser- of the campaign to raise funds for "sending the Kilties (New Plymouth) teain ■and five Taranaki members of the New Zealand teain to Australia at Easter, told the large audience. It was revealed in a statement made by the seeretary of the campaign (Mr. W. S. Thomson) that the president of the Sydney Show Society (Colonel C. fS. Sommerville) had stated that it was not intended to include girls ' marching teams displays at the show, and that it was not possible to reconsider the position. Mr. Thomson 's report was adopted unanimously, and a meeting of tlie Taranaki Marching Association is to be held to decide what aetion it will take iu the matter and another public meet ing will be called. In the meantime the funds collected to date amounting ,to. £217 are to be held in trust pending a subsequent public meeting ,at which their use will be determined.*