MONEY IS WELL SPENT

NZ Truth, Issue 1174, 31 May 1928, Page 10

MONEY IS WELL SPENT

Dunedin Sends Rep. To Sydney In Search of Talent (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.) Last week "N.Z. Truth" told associations m general that the only way to keep Johnnie Leckie m the country was to import opponents for him.

NO association is Avider awake to this fact than Otago and if Leckie does cross the Tasman it will not be the fault of. the southern body. The Otago Association realizes that it has a "welcome nugget" m Johnnie and by last week's Sydney boat it dispatched an ambassador to Sydney. His duty will be to book up some of the top-class feathers at present m the Commonwealth to meet the Dunedin boy this season. In selecting 1 Jack Kilmartin for the job the association could not have made a better decision. In addition to being the association's referee, executive member and kingpin of the match committee, Kilmartin is recognized as being one of the best judges of a boxer m the Dominion. In fairness to Tommy Barber and his manager, it must be related that they were all packed up for New Zealand to fulfil their engagement with the Otago Association. However, when Tommy went to collect his chips from the Stadiums, prior to sailing, that enterprising firm exercised their option for further engagements and Barber had to defer his trans -Tasman voyage until the spring. Realizing the worthlessness of cabling- m such a situation, and anxious

to keep its patrons supplied with a bill of faro de luxe, Otago took little time to arrive at the decision that one of its members should put himself on the spot where a mouthful of words is worth more than a bag full of cables. Leckie has signed up with the Otago Association for two more fights m Dunedin. This precludes the possibility that he is likely to invade Australia this season. If the Stadium people do the reasonable thing- they will release Barber and assist Kilmartin to find another opponent for the New Zealander. Leckie has been a gold mine for the southern association and if he could be matched- with Barber and Radford m Dunedin, both matches would be sure winners. Kilmartin holds the trump card, and while he is not likely to wave it under Stadiums' nose, it will not serve the Sydneysiders any good purpose m placing obstacles m the Dunedin man's way. They want Leckie over there, but there is not much show of getting him until next season. In the meantime Otago patrons are frothing to se© their idol m action once again.