"WAS MADE TO FEEL LIKE CHILLED MEAT"

NZ Truth, Issue 1201, 6 December 1928, Page 1

"WAS MADE TO FEEL LIKE CHILLED MEAT"

WHEN AMOS DEmiMB ASSISTANCE

nniiiuunHiiiuuiuuuiiuuiuiinHiiiiiinurinHuiiiuiiuminiiiuiiuiiuiiintuuuiuuiuuuiiiititnifuui THE position has to be faced Immediately. Already movements are on foot to raise the money for the next Games, -which -will be held m 1932, but the public does not quickly forget, and unless Amos and the Olympic Council take the public into their confidence and either answer the charges or satisfactorily discount them, the prospects of an all round New Zealund team competing at the next Olympiad are extremely remote, From statements which have been made, reports which have been submitted to - controlling bodies, and information which 'has .reached "N.Z. Truth," it is very apparent that the swimming members of the New Zealand team were never properly catered for so that they could reproduce their best form, and m this direction the munager of the team lias a case to answer. „■■'■■'} x termisj '* and conveying suggestions for further tours, , is insufficient. I It may be w.eil' briefly to traverse the facts relating to the control of the swimming members of the team so that readers can grasp the main points of this article. The International Olympic Federation controls every branch of sport represented at the Games except swimming,, which is under the direct control of the International Swimming Federation. . The New Zealand Swimming Council has direct representation on this latter body, their delegate being John Hodgson,, of Waterloo, near Liverpool, who has given the Dominion council thorough and efficient service -since being elected to the' position. Hodgson's experience of English and Continental conditions, his personal acquaintance with sporting authorities, and his wealth of 'knowledge from a pporting point of view should have been .something m the nature Ot a windfall for the New Zealand team. This was even realized by Amos, who wrote the Swimming Council before he left New Zealand promising to get m touch with Hodgson immediately he arrived m England, and if it was found that his services would be of assistance to the swimmers m Amsterdam the Olympic Council would pay his expenses over. . , . . Further than this . the Olympic Council confirmed Amos' offer t6 p.iy expenses for -Hodgson and expressed the belief that Amos would make satisfactory ' 'ar- ■■ : -' ? - ■'■ ••■-.-. rangements W.i t h Hodgson and the Swimming Council would be relieved of all worry. Secure m the. „ . < knowledge that it had succeeded m malting every possible provision for. its .representatives to ; give of their best; the Swimming Council wrote '■ Hodgson ■■ advising him tnat his services would be availed of and asking him to "secure adequate training facilities, as well as coaching advantages, if possible, for the swimmers. Hodgson,' m -an endeavor, to ca-.-ry out his end of the contract, accordingly made the necessary arrangements to provide the swimmers with the best training, facilities , and also arranged for expert coaches to take them m hand, while he also arranged lo forward reports. , . But m spite of the personal assurance that the Olympic Council and Amps had given; it was merely by accident that Hodgson . met Lindsay at Blackpool and learned for the first time, that the team had arrived m the Old Country. . Hodgson, according to information received by the council, had arranged with the Southport Corporation to have the New Zealand swimmers as its guests, paying their hotel bills and providing entertainment conditionally on the team training m the' new bathing pool. But. what such a team requires when preparing for a world's contest is adequate training, facilities, coaches and quiet and rest, as was realized later -fay Amos when he removed his team from. London to Harrow because of the distractions m the metropolis. These necessities were all provided for by Hodgson, yet Amos, . for some reason which he has not yet explained, ' according to Hodgson, ignored these arrangements and the swimmers were left at the mercy of haphazand that offered no reasonable chance of their training properly. V In his report, to the New Zealand Swimming Council Hodgson describes

Facilities Available

Dominion 's Aquatic Representative In England Alleges The Olympic Manager

Were The Swimmers Given The Cold Shoulder On Their Trip To Games Held In Amsterdam ?

niimimiimimiiimiiiiiiiimiiimiHiiiimiimi 111111111111111111111111111111111111 11 n r \ Jf The 'Olympic Games of 1928 are likely to remain an unhappy memory with New Zealanders || II for many a year— the memory of a glorious failure. Of the component nations of the British Empire, |f l| South Africa and Australia Were deprived of fighting chances through internal disruptions, and now some j| II light is being thrown on the set of circumstances which obviously militated against the'members of the New ]J I! Zealand team from producing their best form. \ [j !| The team was comprised of youthful New Zealanders, sent abroad through the generosity of the New If 1 1" Zealand public, and to the people who subscribed the money some explanation is due from the Olympic \i fl Council and its manager m answer to the charges of mismanagement, and indifference to those offering as- jl ft sistance, which have been laid at the door ofjHarry Amos by the New Zealand Swimming Council: ji

his feelings at this time. He said that by the way Amos ' studiously ignored him he felt like chilled meat., , Undaunted by the discourteous gestures of the New Zealand manager, Hodgson continued his endeavor to fulfil his trust, and wrote Amos requesting that the ' manager arrange a passage across and accommodation with the team at Amsterdam. Tnis was done at the suggestion of JSvan A. Hunter, Secretary of the British Olympic Association, who assured Hodgson his application would be granted if it was made by the manager of the N.Z. team. In his failure to comply with this request Amos has a charge to answer to the New Zealand Swimming Council, whose accredited representative was treated with scant courtesy. Amos replied by letter stating, m effect, that there was no room for Hodgson m the official party which included two honorary medical officers from Wellington. The party as then constituted comprised more than the team was entitled to under the regulations, and Amos was afraid, the authorities would not consider the addition of another. The N.Z. Swimming Council would like to know who were these two honorary medical officers from Well r ington, and with whose permission they were included, while the official representative of the New Zealand Swimming Council and its competing representatives, was. excluded when ne hud every right to be with the team. When the team arrived' m Amsterdam, no attempt appears to have been made by the manager to arrange for suitable training facilities for the ladies. Hodgson reported uiat he found them training 'm an oily dock which earned the name of the "typhoid pool," and the ladies themselves were driven' to point out a serious handicap that shouid have been patent to the ■ manager' -without haying to be told of it. Through the agency of Hodgson, who had many tiring interviews with the Dutch hath manager, the New Zealandeis were enabled to have access early each morning to the Stadium Bath. Throughout the whole timeup to this period, Hodgson states m his report, he had not met Mrs. Amos, the official chaperone, and he states that had it not been for Mrs. Millar he does not know what the girls would have done. It was not till the opening day of the swimming events at the Olympiad that Hodgson was able to meet Amos, when, Hodgson declares, Amos opened the conversation by saying he owed Hodgson an apology. Hodgson signified his assent to this statement, but m spite of . the cool treatment, he' had received he continued to offer his services as he had promised the New Zealand Swimming Council. ' The cold fact remains that Hodgson, the man whose appointment ■ to look after the swimmers was approved by the Olympic ' Council, but ignored by its manager, and who had been denied by Amos the opportunity of going to Amsterdam with the team, did what Amos failed to do m finding training facilities for the girls, though by that time it was too late for the facilities to be of much practical use. It is further stated that Amos failed to give effect to the, wishes of the New Zealand Swimming Council by vetoing Hodgson's tentative arrangements to organize an Empire championship meeting to 'be held at>the conclusion of the Games, with the announcement that the team would most likely make a tour of South Africa.

The Empire meeting was favored by the Is r ew Zealand Association;'.' but. Amos had other ideas.' ..-. Hodgson had no desire to create a revolution m the camp. His main concern was to fulfil the trust the New Zealand Swimming Council had, placed m him with the approval of the Olympic Council, and the attitude apparently adopted by Amos ill becomes an ambassador of a growing nation. The swimming me.inlje» s of me team were beaten because they were not quite good, enougn, but tlie fact remains that they could have done better had they/been looked after and encouraged by those whose duty it was to safeguard their interests. They allege, and their allegations are supported by Hodgson's testimony, that they did not receive the sympathetic attention from their manager whose professed code of ethics m another walk of life is worded: "He profits most who serves the best." As far as the other members of I

mers would have suffered handieapf (which Amos' ntonagement, if it die h(st impose, iit. all events pen-nitted tbey would ' not have alio»ed ths swimming team to depart. Standards of sport m New Zealand are improving to such a degree that it would be inadvisable for the councry to drop altogether ideas of representation, at future Olympiads. • This, however, is threatened if the Olympic Council cannot satisfy the New Zealand Swimming Council that its charges of unsyni pathetic and in'•nmiifinif mi.) nagement against Amos are groundless. Tau Olympic Association x dep-ands upon the public for the wherewithal to send the teams away, and it owes them at least an explanation. Failing satisfaction ,it can be taken for granted that the Swimming Council will withdraw its support from the Olympic movement..

cil, Ena Stpckley, the central figure m the unhappy dispute, after weeks •of enforced silence, tells to "Truth" her exclusive story of the tour. She is. content to state her side of the case and leave the public to judge her on the facts as she presents them. She now demands no apology from Harry Amos, the team manager, as she proposed doing. She leaves the vindication of her honor and good name to the medical evidence of doctors and the good sense of the public. Amos denies ever having- slandered Miss Stockley, but she anirms that he did. "It seems to me, from the way I have been treated," she told the interviewer, "that the Olympic Council is prepared to sacrifice my. honor and good name m order that their choice of a team manager should be justified, and that no breath of scandal should touch swimming as a sport. "Yes, you can say that I consider I have been made the scapegoat by the Council, who seem to have been disposed to condemn me before they heard my side of the case." Another phase of the unpleasant business which hurt. Miss Stockley very much was the absence from the railway station on her return home of any representatives of the Auckland Swimming Centre to meet her. "I cannot help feeling that the Olympic Council had received an adverse report about me before I arrived back ,m New Zealand, and, that- this information was _ sent on .to the : " Auckland centre. . When Miss Stjockley: arrived home a telegram was awaiting her. This, to- "" gether with all the correspondence and reports, bearing on the scandal, she handed. to "Truth" This telegram, which had been sent, •by Baxter O'Neill, secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association was as follows:— "Council (this referred to the • Swimming- Council) hag ' learned with indignation scandalous treatment to which you were subjected and intends doing everything possible to, exact apology. Meeting Thursday night. Will give matter, preliminary consideration. , Have demanded from Olympic Council copy of manager's reports. Council considers you did wonderfully well under heart-breaking conditions, and tenders cordial congratulations.—O'Neill." It will be remembered that Manager Harry Amos recently denied that he had ever slandered Miss Stockley, but he wrote to the chairman of the New Zealand Swimming Association expressing regret for any misconstruction any words used by him might have been given. Amos' letter is as follows:- — "The Chairman, N.Z. Swimming Association: Dear Sir, — I gather from statements made by your representatives to the N.Z. Olympic Council this morning that I am accused of having made remarks derogatory to the character of Miss Ena Stockley during the tour of the N.Z. Olympic team. "I have not made such remarks, nor do I know of any grounds on which the character of Miss Stock- ' ley could be impugned. If any remarks made by me have been mis-' construed by any person I very much- regret the fact, and express my regrets to Miss Stockley for any such misconstruction.— Yours faithfully, H. Amos, Manager N.Z. Olympic Team." It is alleged that Amos attacked Miss

the team are concerned, no fault , ' can be found, but it is evident that there was a total absence of human interest between the manager and the swimmers. The girls had frequently to pay their own expenses when forced to travel many miles to training, for Amos, according to the version given by the girls, said he had not the money at the time to afford such trips. . . , If the position is as the girls state, and if the fund subscribed was insuffi- . cient, the swimmers are entitled. to be reimbursed. Some explanation is due to the public, and it 'should be. made, immediately. At the annual meeting of. the ming Council held m Cnristehur.ch last week, the ■ members expressed . their disapproval and regret at what, they termed the series of, indignities that the Council and its representative, Hodgson, had been subjected to by Amos, and decided not to accept theni without the liveliest resentment. ■'. The members made it quite clear that had they known that the swimi, ■..-. ■;• .-■■ ■• ' .;.•-■ .-■:-'

This paper takes no side m the matter, but having regard to the interest of the people who subscribed the money to send the team away to the iast Games, it. makes public the facts as it has gathered them, and asks m the interests of all concerned tnat all cards be laid on the table. The New Zealand. Swimming Council is apprehensive of the effects of this year's tour and its attendant difficulties will have on the sport, and on the strength, of Hodgson's, report it has asked Amos, througn the Olympic Council, to explain his conduct while ori tour. . Baxter O'Neill, secretary of the council, when interviewed by a representative of "Truth," predicted that a 'breach of relations with' the Olympic Council was almost inevitable, while W. 1 E.'. D. Bishop, chairman of the council, with hia customary reticence, declined to ;be drawn, and ' prefers to await a pronouncement by the Olympic Council. ■■„'; Concurrent- with the opinion of the New Zealand Swimming Coun-

Amos Writes Regret

Stock-ley's character by making innuendoes of the vilest nature, basing these innuendoes on the -fact that Miss Stockley had to enter hospital m London to undergo a slight operation. She does not suggest that he made any direct statement at any time to her, and from what "Truth" can glean from the reports and correspondence m its possession, no direct statement seems to have been made at all. All that can be alleged — and is m fact alleged by the members of the team — is that Amos, by implication and innuendo; created the impression — and a very definite one,, too — that he was satisfied m his own mind that Ena Stockley was stiffening from .a certain complaint. '. li-na's story 'of the tour is,' in its main essentials, on all fours with Lindsay's report, which she signed m witness, m company with Mrs. Millar and Kathoccurred on the homeward voyage to England, when Amos introduced. rigorous early morning exercises which were not suitable and which caused a great deal of strain. It. was largely due to this strain that the trouble which later compelled her to have an operation manifested itself. Amos, she alleges, adopted . a bullying manner towards her' on the boat, and she formed the impression that the manager had taken a dislike to her. . The exercises were discontinued after a week of them, but not until Miss Stockley was suffering from the over-strain and the other girls from abdominal pains. It is also alleged that Amos made a scene following a social function at the home of Sir Ernest Horlick m England, owing to his attitude m the matter of the girls dancing with the guests, permission to' do which he refused. He -is also alleged to have accused the girls of making themselves conspicuous, and that he saw them sitting on the knee of an Australian boy m the hotel lounge. This, said Ena, was maliciously untrue. "When we went down to Harrow we wrote to him "denying what he had^said about us, but . he never replied;, although we challenged him to produce anybody who could- prove his statements," said Ena, when recounting her version of the incident. • Miss Stockley mentioned that when she asked Amos if he had fixed up somewhere where they could train, he | said he WOUld find out and let her f. . : -..•";'■ know the next day; 'but when she reminded him, "he flew into a rage and said: 'Do you think I have nothing else > • ' to do but to run round after you.' 'He told me I behaved like 'a child and that he did not know why I. came. 'It strikes me all you came for is a good time.'" But Ena does not lay too much stress on what she described "as these pinpricking annoyances" to which, she alleges she was subjected by Amos. To her there is only one phase of the tour that concerns her now, •'.' and that is the way she declares Amos slandered her by innuendo and implication to other members of the team. "I knew nothing whatever about it for a long . time," she told "Truth." "Nobody would tell me anything, but gradually I began to realize that something was wrong somewhere. The matter is a most painful one for me to discuss, but, 1 after all is said and, done, I must conquer my natural repugnance to such a: discussion m order to clear my good name and character. "As to. my host of friends and all the good sports who know me from one end of New Zealand to the other, there is no need for me to defend myself before them. But m view of the publicity that has been given to this unfortunate, business, it is necessary that I should clear my name m the eyes of the general public. I don't care about anything else save the complete vindication of my character." The trouble from which Miss Stockley suffered, due .to overstrain, was present m Australia- » The overstrain of the exercises on the boat brought on another attack of the trouble. On June 11, m London, she said, Amos told her he had arranged with Dr. .Porritt for her to see Dr. A. Bourne,, of Harley Street. She accordingly visited the doctor, who told her. the trouble had been caused by strain. The doctor, however, was unable properly to' diagnose the ailment until; she entered the hospital, which she' did. (Continued op pas* II*),