ATHLETICS & THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2380, 9 February 1915, Page 7

ATHLETICS & THE WAR

/ CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING • 1 fO BE HELD IN WELLINGTON Tor some time it has Bcemed rathor doabtful whether the N6w Zealand Amatear Athletic Championship Meeting ut>uld be held this year of would lapse airing to the waf. Now it is practically <ktalii jthat the meeting will be held in Wellington about the middle of March. , When the New Zealand Council of the 'Amateur'. Athletic : Association decided that tho big meeting should be held somewhere this season, Auckland was offered the privilege ofirtiiming the gathering. Auckland declined the offer. Ot&go has; expressed the opinion that the meeting should not he held at all, because some of the best athletes are away ,at the war, and' the championships inight g6 ltd second-raters. . Canterbury was asked to take the meeting, but cannot secure a ground for the purpose. ' The Council considered the position last evening) and deoided that the meeting should bp held in Wellington under the direction of the council, and that tlifi Wellington Centre of the association should be invited to co-operate. The meeting will be held on March 13 if the I Basin Reserve is available on that date. March:2o is. the date next in favour, j Mr., A. A., Marryatt and Mr. J. 0.. i Cusack are,to complete arrangements as to.tKe date',. .; The • Wellington championships meet-1 ing, by the .way,.is to be held at Mastorton oh Thursday, March 4. ; The ikiiiiifiil decided that siiy prdfits from the, New ,• Zealand championships meeting' should be put into the New Zealand Soldiers' Dependents' Relief Fund.'- In view of this fact, the' City Council. will be asked to forego its charge, for, the" ground l . In. a letter stating' Canterbury's inability td hold the championships meeting, the Canterbury secretary wrote:— "My Centre exceedingly regrets its inabilitvjto hold .the New 'Zealand chammeeting this year. My Centi't) is. firmlv of opinioti that the championships should not be abandoned this btit'.it find- that the season has 'advanced too far to allow the Canterbury .Centre to arrange, the meeting: If ; my Centre had received earlier iiotioe it would probably have arranged same. NoWj ,the only grounds' in Christch'urch' on which an important sports could be held are booked up until the beginning ,of the football season. . At Easter, the holding of a New Zealand championshipß jvoiild, conflict with the New _ Zealand University championships meeting. My Centre has tried to arrange, to hold the championships meeting in AshhuJton, which' would make an excellent place for such a meeting, but we have met with, slpiilar experience In urging that the meeting should be held in' Some centre this year, if possible, my committee desires to exDress the opinion: that the normal life of the community'should bo maintained- to the greatest possible extent; The athletic life of the .community, in ' particular, should not be allowed 1 to ianguishi for athletic manhood: will be.as much needed when the war is. over, as it, is needed on the battlefields of the Old World to-day." •