EXHIBITION BOXING TOURNEY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2015, 24 March 1914, Page 3

EXHIBITION BOXING TOURNEY .

A POLICE PERMIT CANCELLED. (By Teleffraph—l'rces Association.! Auckland, March 23. Twelve months ago it was announced that for Exhibition time six big boxing contests, each for £1000, would be promoted. Tho Boxing Association was not financially in a position to undertake a programme so big, and it entered into a contract witli Mr. Bris. Doyle, who was to act as tho association's agent, to find gurscs, and share with the association an} , profits which might necruc. Mr. Doyle found certain barriers in the way, and transferred his agreement with the association to a Mr. Mitchell. Tho latter paid Mr. Doyle £250, and committed himself to a further expenditure of -£400, in arranging through "Tommy" Burns for engagements with M'Coy, • Wells, Morey, Hegarty, and Daniels. ' Tho New Zea-' land Boxing Council had been inclined at first to view with disfavour the con- , tract .entered into, but Mr. Mitchell saw Mr. M'Villy, of that body, and pointed, out that all the contests were to be absolutely controlled by the Northern Boxing Association, and with that explanation Mr. M'Villy had been , satisfied, and a police'permit for tho contests had been granted. Advice has now been received that the police permit has been cancelled, and urgent- representations on the subject are now being made to the authorities in "Wellington by: Mr. Mitchell, and by the association, which says it cannot understand why the cancellation has been ordered.

Superjntendent Kiely, .when seen on the subject, said that when the permit was issued it was not known that the contract had been passed on from Mr. Poyle to, others, and that sereral people were now concerned who*Kvero really interested in the proposed tourney from a money-making point of view." The cancellation of tho permit, tho Superintendent added, had been ordered from Wellington. - When the'substanco of the. foregoing message was communicated last evening to Superintendent Ellison (who is at present Acting-Commissioner of Police in the absenco from Wellington cf Commissioner Cullcn), ho said that the law directed that' boxing should bo permitted only under tho auspices of bonaJido registered associations. It was not contemplated by the law that -boxing sliould bo carried on by any private individuals, or syndicates 'for profit; a, condition of affairs that it was-consid-ered' miglit tend to tho degradation of the snort. ■ In the action taken' at 'Auckland the police wero enforcing the law in letter and spirit.