FOOTBALL.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 April 1928, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

EN TH V SIA XT IC EAR EW Eli L. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, April 13. Four thousand people assembled on the wharf to-day to say farewell to the lfl'JX All Blacks' team on its departure for South Africa in an endeavour to win the Rugby supremacy of the world. Each member of tinteam was permitted to say a word of farewell over tbe wireless. Food wishes for tbe team’s success were expressed by tile .Mayor, and tbe Prime Minister.

Tbe Governor-General sent tbe following message Imm Auckland: ”1 sent you all my good wishes (or a lmppy time.’’ .Maurice Brownlie, Captain. ami .Mark Niebolls. Vi< e-Capi a in. enel.' bearing giam tree leriis, led tbe team up tbe gangway and at 3.10 p.m. the Mamma left tbe wharf, severing hundreds of streamers .connecting Unship with the shore. "Wo want you In remember." said Mr G. 11. Troup. Wellington’s Mayor, In (lie team, '‘that we are proud of you. I should like to commend to you tbe will to win. I am sure that vour Captain has Ibis quality and I hope you will all cultivate it when you are away. I hope you will think ol New Zealand and 'Her so high. and her valleys so green.' Be steadfas ( ; Cry. -speed! Fight on! Abe! Ake! A heF "

“The selectors." said .the Prime Minister, “had made a declaration that 11 • players had Iren picked as much lor thnrarlrr as lor their playing ability. We know.” continued Mr Coates, “that the team will take any victories they may secure with modesty and that they will make no excuses if defeat should come their way. The tour will have the effect of bringing the people ol South Africa, and New Zealand •loser together. All r can >;iy to you is llaeraera Kin Kahn, the best of luck : Ihe host of good wishes; and may you return to voiir own people with honours surrounding you.” “I would like to assure the people of Now Zealand,” said Mr E. f . Ilorsig. the team manager, ‘‘that if we are defeated, the members of the team will feel the defeat more keenly than the people of New Zealand. IW trust we will not let you down, and (■an assure you that we will do our best to go down in history as a team who always played the game.”

GOOD INTENTIONS NOT ENOUGH. “ A purely declaratory statement of intentions is hardly good enough.” says the “ Manchester Guardian.” “No nation oven intends war. Tt is always provoked in it. And unless the positive machinery is provided which will prevent these provocations from having the consequences which in history they always have had. even the most formal and explicit repudiation of war as a legitimate instrument of policy will leave matters pretty much as they are. I'nless you are going to sav how every kind of dispute is going to he settled the mere statement that no dispute must ho settled by war evades the whole difficulty. The only positive alternative to war is arbitral and judicial settlement, and the extent to which proposals for the ‘outlawry’ of war arc sincere may he fairly accurately determined by the extent to which those who propose them are willing to accept in advance the decisions of independent tribunals. The tost of the American offer will he the text of the proposed troatv ol arbitration.