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Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1021, 11 July 1930, Page 9

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MEMBERS OF THE AUS- ! TRALIAN TEAM FOR EMPIRE GAMES WILL FIND THEMSELVES SHORT OF CASH BEFORE ; TRIP IS OVER

SELF-FINANCE Spartan times are ahead of the Australian team which is now on \ its way to Canada for the Empire j Games, says the Sydney "Sun.” j In all other branches of sport, especially cricket and football, a team, on leaving Australia, has had a dally alI lowance. This, with their own money, ! has helped them to enjoy the trip, and give of their best on the field of sport, but members of the Empiad team do not receive a halfpenny allowance from the time they stepped on board the Aorangi. It is the first occasion on record where a team has left Australia without an allowance of some description being made to members to buy articles which are always found necessary. All their expenses, like those of other teams, will be paid, the manager having control of the money. They have been provided with a cap, blazer, tie. cream trousers, and one or two other odds and ends for use on certain occasions. NOT COMPLAINING Tho men are not complaining. They are proud to represent Australia at the games, and although they are short of ready cash they will give of their best. They admit that it is going to be an extremely hard scrape to make their money last out —particularly those with the smaller amounts—but they intend to make the best of it, and not compain. They undertook to go away without receiving any expenses, and will live up to their bargain. The purchase of their ordinary clothes, of course, has meant a heavy drain on their resources, for new suits, shirts, ties, socks, shoes, hats and underwear, and the result is that the majority left Sydney with only a few pounds In their pockets to buy anything they should require in New Zealand, Fiji, Honolulu and Canada. And an athlete finds many things necessary. The men left with the following amounts in their pockets, to last approximately 3.6 weeks: W. M. Whyte (athlete) .. £2 10 0 H. Fargher (trainer) 3 10 0 D. C. Gallagher (boxing) .. 12 15 0 H. A. Bascombe (athlete) .. 13 5 0 N. Ryan (swimmer) .... 1500 W. Cameron (swimmer) .. 17 0 0 H. R. Pearce (sculler) .... 20 0 0 A. J. Hillhouse (athlete) . . 20 0 0 G. Golding (athlete) 40 0 0 On© leading sportsman who has seen many teams leave Australia could hardly believe his ears when told of tho team’s precarious financial position. He was of the opinion that each should receive at least 7s 6d a day—it was absolutely necessary, he said— , making a total of £42 for the 1G weeks. If they did not take this amount away with them, then he would forecast that it would be just one continual scrape and screw. Another thought that 5s was the minimum. The Olympic team received that amount and found it just enough. This would mean £2B for the period. Mr. J. Eve, secretary of the Empire Games Committee, commenting on the above statements, said that, as far as tho personal finances of the players are concerned, the committee, of their own personal knowledge, knew that they were more than ample, and that the manager of the team was supplied with more than ample cash to cover all expenses of this tour. The team as a whole would get all its legitimate expenses paid. Mr. Eve said he wanted to emphasise that the team was a very contented body. “I have never seen a happier crowd.” he said. "There has never been the slightest suggestion of shortage of money.”