ETHICS OF BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 585, 13 August 1909, Page 6

ETHICS OF BOXING.

; —♦ —- USE OF THE TOWN HAUL. OPINIONS OF,CITY COUNCILLORS. As an outcome of tho deputation from tho Wellington Boxing Association, which waited on the Financo Comniitteo of tho City Council on Tuesday last, tho committee recommended, at last night's meeting of tho council, to allow tho association tho use of the Town Hall for. a professional contost on August 16, in viow of the fact that tho association is committed to considerable monetary expense for that occasion. The Mayor moved tho adoption of tho recommendation'. ■ Councillor Luke insisted that professional boxing.contests should not' bo' allowed in tho Town Hall,'but he thought that as tho association, had been encouraged by tho past practice of the council to,' take the, uso of tho hall -for. grauted; and had therefore incurred considerable exponso, tho council' could not very well refuse permission on tbo present occasion.' Councillor Shirtcliffe also said that a hall controlled .by tho city should not be used for_ contests of such a nature. .He was not satisfied, on tho information before him, that the use of the hall'should bo allowed even tor the contest under discussion. - ( Ho agreed with the oncouragoment of amateur boxing, but considered' that professional boxing had a brutahsing tendency. ■■•... Tho Mayor; related the history of the negotiations, including a statement on behalf of the Boxing Association, to the effect that an expenditure of £216 had beeh incurred oh' tile expectation of "getting tho

; 'Councillor. Fitzgerald supporte<l' the com-, mittee. Boxing,' as conducted here, was clean .and' healthy "sport, and some.of the. inost reputable citizens wer« in. control of the association. Ho did • not see much dif fereuce. between professional and amateur boxing...' Amateurs fought, just, as keenly as professionals.

Councillor.Smith took exception to money prjzes .being . givdu in boxing contests, al•though lio was an admirer of the sport. H© favoured the. association being ■ granted tbo use of tlje ball on. this occasion, seeing that thejjr had made all their arrangements, it. btt bad-been informed that the council had taken a deposit from the association' for live nights* boxing. \ Clerk-informs me that he. took their cheque and still holds it. Ihe cheque taken peuding a decisiou of the council on the matter.' Councillor Atkinson said he could not imagine anything limpcr than the committee's proposal. .It meant that, because people speculate on.the"chaiiccs of getting the Towil Hall, the council was to abandon a resolution' it had passed. He had heard -enough of "just, this once." A commiiteo ■recommended first one thing and then just the opposite, because two or three people had ! n J™.. meantime ,;scratchcd somb;. people's backs. If' Councillor Fitzgerald did not know the difference between professional and amateur, boding, he would not undertake to enhghten him,, but-the essential-'difference was, too obvious'.to need elaboration.. •Had the. council or any of its officers done any-' thing that seemed to, coun tenaiice the right to a ;liccnse,, he 'would have felt constrained to support the committee, but tho Mayor's tfi?"»d e -'it clear that the association.'.had noticed -that the matter was doubt--iha association, therefore, had: no richt to enter into-any engagement on ■ the astW'^nl°in rr" ' thcy , ooulc i l have the -«so of the,recom :

amendment was not seconded. o i Un r l -> a f? i "r £ » h '.-' su CP ortc d the 'recommendation, of-the committee,.,as ho thought it was; only . fair to 1 the association, which had made its arrangements, and could not get another hall at this'late stage. At the 'r e r t , a PP rove 'of these boxing contests being held in. the Town Hall. Councillor I letclier thought ..there liad been tbf mJ? .°| f e^ridmdtherly! feeling about the matter. If the sport was a good sport why. not. We it in tho,Town Hall? Better there, he thought, than in another hall, as the more publicity given to the'matter the K te -. H© had not attended, a. boxing Icontest for twenty .'^eta;; but it was a manly and clean sport 'and would remain so as lone as. it was under, its present' management! He could, not see any difference between'amateur and. professional contests. ' There.'was only a,very thin, line between the .two: Tho amateur .went in to win, and hit just as bard as the professional.,-, . Councillor Ballinger was against the hall being used for professional contests. Councillor Dpvine said he' was prejudiced ; against boxing,; but. not bigoted. He thought that, m view of % liabilities incurred/ unn!^L a ; n ii D k St a m ' sa PPrehohsion, the permission should be granted. Boxing had a standing under the law, and why should the council _set up another . standard? ■If the council began ,to. scrutinise - the character- of for which the hall tfas J^ an ?'Uor Hi n d ma rsh,.< in; supporting \the recommendation; submitted that, the'feelings' of. the-spectators of ah amateur; boxing match ;wore indistinguishable from those, of the .people who witnessed a professional 'contest;' add tho-contestants ,\7ere equally keen. . Councillor Frost thought the council should decide once and.for all' what : action it-should tako .in. these matters. In view of .the explanation given in .the present case, he was' prepared to support 'the recommendation ino recommendation was' agreed to.