CENTRE MANAGEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 135, 5 December 1938, Page 16

CENTRE MANAGEMENT

A long letter has been received from Mr. R. Spence, new chairman of the Wellington Centre, in reply to certain comment appearing in "The Post" after the annual meeting of the centre, and which Mr. Spence describes as an article "re harriers attempting to gain control of the summer section of the amateur athletic sports." Mr. Spence states that "the trouble seems to have started through my being elected to the position of chairman of the centre, and arising out of published reports of this event, individuals have and are attempting to make capital out of it, at the experise of the harrier movement."

Mr. Spence points out that of the 25 persons present at the annual meeting, only nine were harrier delegates, and he declares that he stood as chairman because he was approached to do so as a result of the attitude adopted by some, including the late chairman, Mr. F. Bond, in regard to the continuance of the athletic sub-committee. Although acknowledging and appreciating the good work done for the sport by Mr. Bond, he disagreed with the motion sponsored by Mr. Bond aiming at the substitution of an advisory committee for the athletic sub-committee. Under the circumstances he agreed to stand as chairman, so that in the event of Mr. Bond's motion being defeated, as it was, the sub-committee would have a chairman (if elected) in sympathy with the sub-committee principle. That was his sole reason for standing against Mr. Bond. There were prominent harriers working for the summer section and it was hardly fair to say that they were endeavouring to gain control.

Mr. Spence concludes his letter by making an appeal to those who would like to do something for the betterment of the sport by assisting on one of the committees to hand in their names, and he asks all athletes to take an active interest in the sport and to endeavour to interest others.

In reply to Mr. Spence, the first point that it is desired to bring under his notice is that nowhere was it stated in the comment referred to that his election as chairman was, or even appeared to be, an attempt by the harriers to gain control of the summer section of amateur athletics. If he will read the comment again in its context and forget about the individuals he complains of he will see that this is so. It is common knowledge that there have been suggestions from time to time that the harriers are seeking greater control; in fact, a passing reference was made to it at the annual meeting, and with that in mind the basis of "Sprinter's" reference was rather the expression of the hope that nothing of that kind had anything to do with the change of chairman of the centre. If Mr. Spence chooses to place another interpretation on it, that is unfortunate. Admittedly the fact that he stood against Mr. Bond was rather a surprise to qviite a number, particularly in view of the fact that- as chairman of the harrier sub-committee he took automatically by virtue of that office a seat on the executive. However, he has explained the reason for his action and has given the assurance that his attitude was not the practical expression of any desire by the harrier movement to dominate the scene but was due merely to the fact that he differed from Mr. Bond over a motion. —"Sprinter."