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Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1921, Page 2

((Hitests, and good-natured barracking appeared to be the chief jymisement oi the spectators to keep up the public interest. Naturally the Australian delights in a little piece of nonsense, but the Englishmen relish it, and allowed their tempers to be spoilt. This in turn acted adversely on their cricket and the end was disastrous defeats. The barracking appears to have been mag- ' nificd by the players who were cabling home reports of the matches, and the 1 pastime of the crowd was featured more than the play itself.. It was as though i the cablegrammer was allowing the oom- ! plaints a.lvout the barracking to account for the Englishmen’s poor cricket. It j was not the right spirit; it was not ' playing the game, and in consequence the Englishmen suffer a good deal of obloquy, apart from their poor showing ,as cricketers. The whole situation anent the barracking has no doubt been 1 greatly magnified. Columns of matter have been cabled round the world about the incidents, and much had blood has been shown. The transcendent victory of the Australians, in point of fact, has been overshadowed by the public interest centred about the unpleasant inei-

The round of test matches in Australia, has resulted in a wonderful victory for the home team, England never putting up a worse showing. ’Hie visitors were the inferior team all through the

dents of the game. This is not cricket, as the sportsmen love it, and the whole procedure is regrettable altogether, gome of the British newspapers ..am up the position to the discredit of their own men, and that is the soundest and safest criticism which mav be passed on the trouble. The Australian victory was so pronounced that nothing in the true cricket spirit should be allowed 'o detract from it. The great international contest is finished for the time being, but in the coming English summer the Australians will be at Home to again fight for the ashes. Let us hope that there the true cricket atmosphere will be breathed, and that the game will proceed along true sporting lines and may the better side win.

Possibly arising out of the address delivered at the Chautauqua season last Tuesday night, a movement is abroad to organise a local committee to take up. the work of lieakititving Cass Square, when: is to lie erected Westland’s war memorial. We understand the Hon H. L. Michel, M.L.C. is one of the prime movers in this rejuvenation of public interest in the affairs of the town, and no one is better qualified to take up the matter actively. Air Michel has had a wide civic experience, and an intimate knowledge of the town’s resources and its capabilities to help, itself. We are therefore very hopeful if Air .Michel will devote some of his valuable time to the work, that he will inspire other citizens to emulate in what should he done to improve the general appearance of our town now making such general advancement. It is possible that great good should come out of such a movement, for if the right spirit is aroused among the people, they will go on from one task to another and end up by making Hokitika what it should be—the town beautiful. We talk of •beautiful AVestland, and our public actions extoll its beauties. To be in keeping with the provincial qualities, the chief town should not he one whit behind hand, and the movement we hear of we trust will go forward with a bound, and achieve all the good worth it is possible to do in the interests of all concerned. The desire to improve local civic conditions seems to be in the air. It was much talked of at the townspeople’s farewell to Aliv P. R. Stewart who showed 4>o fine a spirit of citizenship. It was in evidence when Tuesday's lecturer-referred to the subject and his references were endorsed so pronouncedly by the great audience listening to him. It is manifested by the' offer to erect swings in Cass Square, by the desire to place a drinking fountain in the same grounds. All these tend to show how public opinion is focussing itself, and the end will be a reformation of the appearance of the town, creditable to all within it, and a delight to all who visit it. Advance Hokitika.