Banned Sports Meeting

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 66, 5 April 1937, Page 9

Banned Sports Meeting

PHYLLI8 MARSHALL.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — With regard to the cancellatiou of the Tikokino sports meeting, and Mr Jackson 's timely letter, the people of this district would appreciate the settling of the present controversy over the banning of the meeting. There aro several major points on which enlightenment would be interesting, to sav the least of it. Mr Jackson auitably draws attention to the inconsiatency of the Minister of Health. On the bare face of the. matter it seems that we have been subjected to a sudden gusf of protection, the like of which is not being experienced elsewhere, or that we are being unreasoiiably suppressed. It is suppoaed to be a fact that children are in greater danger from this paralysis when cooped up indoors than when outside, yet the very children who were deprived of a day at a sports meeting to be held in the open air are still attending the school,^ which has not been closed. We hear a lot about safeguarding the ' children, but if schoolrooms are safe for children, sports grounds are, and it is evident that the cancellation was not i'or the benefit of the kiddies. Race meetings are evidently safe for ! children, if we can believe the testlmony of the human eye, It is not practieal to suppose thai the Minister is aetually anti- Tikokino | nor anti-sports meetings, as the Wairoa j meeting has been held. Disposing of him for the moment, i what we would like to hear is thu ' report of the district health olficer. So j far as can be ascertained, no case of ! paralysis, either suspect or positive, has j been publicly notified from the Tikokino district, but if there has beea such a case I for one would like to know its identity and the date of its admission to a hospital. It is hardly feasible to suppose that the meeting was cancelled for no reason at all, yet that is practically what" we are asked to believe. A solution of the mystery might be more likely to be found nearer home than the Minister 's Wellington office. Is it possible that some amateur philanthropist could lodge an objection relative to the meeting being held in any quarter amenable- to such complaints? As the matter stands now, the endeavours of the club executive are gone j for nothing, together with eighty-five ; perfectly good pounds. Some mysteries j are dear at the price. 1 It is generally understood that beforb j any question such as a suspected case i of paralysis in a district could be rei ferred to the Minister of Health it must pass through the district health department, and if such a case has been put through I would like to know ou wliose' behalf and by whom. Plaeing the blame of this sports fiasco on to the Minister will very likely prove to be a hasty action. Thanking you for the use of your valuable space. — Yours, etc.,

Waipawa, April 3, 1937.