CITY COUNCIL & BOXING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2498, 26 June 1915, Page 12

CITY COUNCIL & BOXING

EXCEPTION TAKEN TO PAYMENT OF KENT. Exception was taken by the chairman and members of tho Wellington Boxing Association last evening to the action of the City Council in charging tlie slim of X'lß for rent of tho Town Hall on the occasion of the Trecey-Taylor contest in aid of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. During tho course of his remarks, iMr. M'Villy said that some persons (and these included City Councillors) were under tho impression that tho Boxing Association was out to make money, and were also a wealthy body. It had been said that the Boxing Association had not txven any lnonoyt, !iffay without having mndo a profit on its carnivals. Tho chairman pointed out that in 1913 £-19 had been given to tho Citizens' Carnival Fund, and dnring IPI4 tho sum of £32, and a donation of £15, had been given by the Boxing Association to tho same fund. During 1915 £78 had been handed over to the Bolginn llelie'l, and the Wounded Soldiers' Funds. To give these sums, which wsro the net proceeds of oarnivals, tlie association had to draw on its capital account to pay expenses. As a matter of fact, the Trace;,'-Taylor exhibition resulted in a loss of £'&) 18s. Mr, M'Villy went on to say that where a body of sports showed an inclination to help they should bo given every opportunity to do so. It was not a question of taking exception to paying out the £18 to the City Council for the rent of the hall, but what was resented was the opposition shown by certain persons on thp City Council to the Boxing Association, Several members took exception to the action of the council asking the association to pay the rent of the hall before the doors were opened on the night of the Tracey-Taylor contest. It was stated that Mr. M'Villy had been asked to produce the cheque before the hall was opened. Members spoke very indignantly of this action, and said that b was considered not only an insult to tho Boxing Association, but a direct insult to its chairman. Subsequently it was unanimously resolved that -the Boxing Association should pay tho £18 levied by tho City Council for the use of the hajl to tie Wounded Soldiers' Fund. This means that tho association has decided to pay £'30 for the rent of the Town Hall for tho night in question. It might bn explained that the City Council lirst charged the association £18 for the ront of the hall, aud subsequently the latter body asked to be given tlie free use of the hall seeing that the contest was for the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. To this the council would not agree unless no expenses or charges by performers were made. These conditions were not acceptable to the association, and subsequently tlie couucil asked for 50 per cent, of the takings. After several discussions had . taken place the Boxing Association dccided to pay the original price asked, viz., £18.

CARNIVAL AT PETONE. A meeting of the Wellington Boxing Association was held last evening, Mr. 11. W. M'Villy presiding. Tlie Now Zealand Council advised that the following weights had been declared for all amateur championshipsßantam, Bst. 21b.; feather, ast.; light, lOst. ; welter, lOst. 91b.; middle, list. 4lb. '11,0 Wellington Football Association wrote asking for permission to hold an exhibition of boxing on the Basin Reset vo at their carnival this afternoon. As the application had come in too late to comply with, certain regulations and requirements, permission was reluctant1'- declined. * On tiie motion of the chairman it- was decided to hold the Wellington Boxing Association's amateur championships at I'ctono this year. In explaining lus reasons for moving the motion, Mr. M'Villy said that tho association had lost. niotifiV on the last two carnivals hold in Wellington. The association had done its best for the sport as far as Wellington was concerned, and the support which had been forthcoming was ir.ost unsatisfactory. All tliafc could be done had been done by the to try to ulease followers of the spfcvt. He understoiv! that there were several promising hoxors coming oil at Petonc (iiid tlio association had always had suppert from that district. Another thing which had to be considered was the expenses, attached to Tunning a carnival in the City of Wellington. The only suitable ball was the Town Hall, atid ha thought that as tho public support was waning tho association could not see its way clear to pay the liigli rent asked for at present.