WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

NEW ZEALANDERS AT HOME. A CRICKETING TRIUMPH. (Special to “ Guardian.”) fi ’ WELLINGTON. Sept. 19

Wellington players and followers of the “ national game,” and indeed, the whole Wellington public, are greatly elated by the liigh tributes paid to the New Zealand cricketers at the gathering held in London on Saturday and reported in the papers this morning. It is not merely the matches the New Zealanders have won, nor the centuries they nave scored, during their progress through the .Mother Country that have delighted their friends at this end or the world. Vet in this respect they have done famously, far exceeding the expectations of the promoters of their trip. They have handsomely surpassed the kindly predictions of their Australian neighbours; they have won high praise from leading exponents of the game, and, to quote on of the most distinguished of these authorities, they have written the name of New Zealand largo upon the cricketing map. But above and beyond all these achievements they have won the hearts of the British public by their cheery enthusiasm, their whole-hearted sportsman* ship, their acceptance of success and failure with equal equanimity and their jealous regard for the high traditions of the game. It all is delightfully reminiscent of the stirring words with which Sir Francis Bell, six months ago, in the Wellington Town Hall. eoncVuded his eloquent farewell to the members of tho team. T ‘ You,” he said, “ satisfy the people of England that all New Zealand cricketers, whatever their social status may be, are gentlemen, and you will have rendered a great service to your country.” The team has honoured its trust. THE PRACTICAL MORAL.

The “Dominion” this morning draws] the practical moral of the New Zea-: landers’ tour with appropriate reserva-j tions. “ The lesson of the tour is,” it says, “that in cricketing calibre we are as sound as the average English county player, and in certain individual cases superior. Out hatting has been distinctly attractive though our bowlers, with the exception of Merritt, gained no great laurels, the play all round was very creditable. That is a sufficiently satisfactory basis for aspiring to a future opportunity of accepting the invitation of two celebrated AI.C.C. authorities to meet an allEngland eleven. This aspiration should supply the much needed incentive to the public of tliis country to give at least as much moral support to their cricketers as they do now to their footballers. We did not realise bow proficient we were in the football field until we sent the famous All Blacks home. The triumphant tour of that invincible fifteen undoubedly bad a stimulating effect upon our national inoralo in football, for not only did it set a standard of form, but ai’so a standard of achievement. So long as we play merely amongst ourselves, we are in danger of measuring our proficiency by provincial standards, but we arc unable to iix its degree of merit unless we measure it by those of the outside world. 'The principle applies not only in sport, hut in art, and in fact everything else. The cricket tour therefore, has been a good tiling for the game, but it also lias been an excellent thing for our cricketing morale.”

THE SESSION, Parliament within little more than a week wili' enter upon the fourth month of the session with less accomplished than has been the case for such a period for many years. If it is to provide itself with a reasonable excuse for proroguing before the Christmas holidays it will have to get to work seriously in the very near future. This is the middle session—the session traditionally devoted to serious work—and when the Prime Minister was hastening away to tho Imperial Conference last year it was explained that all the matters postponed owing to his departure would he speedily over-taken on his return. The method of the overtaking is being ili'u.strnted in the House now and in the leisurely pace at which the Legislative Council is moving. The blame for the slow progress that is being made is cast from some quarters upon the Labour Party, whoso members, it is said, having made a profession of polities are careless ns to whether they remain in session the whole year round or not. From the same source comes the story that the Labour Party is responsible for the overtures that are being made to tho Government for a substantial increase in members’ salaries. What truth there is in these statements it is difficult to determine, but however the Labour members may regard their obligations to their constituents in an all-the-yenr-ronnd session it is certain they have not contributed unduly to the garrulity of the House.