SPORTS PROTECTION LEAGUE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3405, 21 December 1911, Page 2

SPORTS PROTECTION LEAGUE.

BRANCH TO BE FORMED HERE TO-NIGHT. INTERVIEW WITH MR A. A. PAAPE. The first general meeting of members and representatives of local sports bodies is to he held in W ootton’s Rooms this (Thursday) evening at S o’clock, when Mr J. W. Nolan will take the chair. The meeting is being held for the purpose of establishing a centre which will take in the. Poverty Bay district and part of the Auckland province. Mr A. A. Paape, the general j secretary to the League, arrived from the South yesterday and will be present at the meeting this evening. In conversation with a representative of the “Times” last evening Mr Paape stated that already district committees had been elected for the provinces of Southland, Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay with headquarters in the principal towns. During January centres will b® constituted for the'Auckland, Taranaki, Marlborough, Nelson and Westland provinces, after which all the principal towns in each of the respective provinces will be visited' by the secretary, where meetings will be convened and committees elected! to look after tlie interests of the members. Mr Paape intimated that the League had comp in for a certain amount of hostile criticism from a section who did not understand and apparently who did not desire to know the aims and objects of the League. The objects of the organisation, he said, were as follow; —1. To influence public opinion, without regard to party politics, in the interests of sport, so as to enable the people to amuse themselves- in future without molestation. 2. To promote any alterations of law that may be necessary for the better protection of sports and pastimes.' 3. To take up and defend any actions that the Council may consider important as tert cases. 4. To discourage all malpractices in connection with sport, and to raise its tone wherever it is considered necessary. 5. Generally to do whatever may from time to time seem advisable to extend the facilities for every honestly conducted sport, exercise and amusement. The League’s attitude was defensive and would interfere with no one, but,its main endeavor would be to prevent interference with its members who were banded together for the sole purpose of defending the sports and pastimes of the people. The membership of the League in the Dominion was rapidly increasing, and before the end of the coming year the Board of Control is confident that the roll of membership would be at least 200,000. It is anticipated that there will (bo a large attendance at the inaugural meeting to be held this evening. i