FOOTBALL. THE MAORI FOOTBALLERS TOUR.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH — COPYRIGHT.! [PER press association.] Sydney, March 22. Robert Jack applied to the Equity. Court to compel the New South Wales Football League to pay him £165, the amount awarded under the decree of August 28 last a, his share of the proceeds of the Maori team s tour, the amount being still unpaid. The League offered £56 in full settlement of the claim. The Court ordered the Master-in-Equity to inquire as to the monies held by the Loague.

The President and Committ- wmii of the Manawatu Rugby Union do not intend to seek re-election next >ve/K. the reason being mainly dissatista.:tion with the action of the N. -. it»gbv Union over the Hewitt case. "The decision of the N.Z. Rugby Union Appeal Committee which the officers of the Manawatu Rugby Vn ~ ion take exception to is as follows: "The Manawatu Union purports to -disqualify him under rule 14c, which empowers the committee to inflict a penalty upon any member of the club refusing 'to give effect to any resolution passed by the Management Committee.' In our opinion, Mr Hewitt never refused to give effect to any resolution of the Committee. He may have disobeyed a resolution, but disobedience is not the same thing as "refusal to give effect." A meeting if the Management Committee of the Manawatu Rugby Union was held at Palmerston yesterday. Mr A. N. Gibbons (President) occupied the chair, and Messrs Fred. Pirani (vice-president), Jury, Manning, and Muller (secretary) were also present. The draft report and balance-sheet were arranged, and it was decided to submit them to a committee meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday next. The President and Secretary announced that they did not intend to stand for re-election, and it was stated tbat the other members of the Committee were of the same mind. . A standard dictionary gives the meaning of "disobey" as "To refuse obedience — to disregard orders." Mr B. I. Swannell, the new secretary of the Metropolitan Rugby Union, entered upon his position last week. Mr Swannell has^a world-wide reputation as a footballer (says an Australian exchange). He first came into prominence as left centre threequarter for Northampton Club and East Midland County. Afterwards, keeping his pace and putting on weight, he went "into the scrum," and as a forward has represented his county, twice to Australia as a member of a British team— -1899 and IQO4 — and has also represented Metropols, New. South Wales, and Australia; indeed, Swannell holds the unique record of having represented Britain, New South Wales, and Australia. He claims that he has played Rugby football in every part of the w,orld where the game is in vogue — France, Germany, South Africa, North and South America, and India. Therefore 5 he is a widely r travelled man. Originally adopting the sea as a profession, he sailed to. many ports and saw many adventures. He has been sealing on the coast of Labrador, and knows what it feels like in_a temperature of 35 degrees below zero. He went through the South African war, enlisting as a trooper, and being personally recommended on the field for a commission by General Lord Methuen. This is not the only^ fighting he has seen, as he took part in the Cajpe frontier war, and was also fighting amongst the insurrectionists in the Republic of Uruguay ; in fact, his adventures on sea and land are too numerous to be recorded here. Since 1904, during which year he visited New Zealand with Bedell-Seivright's team. Mr Swannell has resided in New South Wales, taking an active part in football as player and official, holding' office on his district olub. Metropolitan Rugby Union, and Metropolitan Referees' Association. Early in January Mr Howe was granted leave of absence, # and Mr Swannell was appointed acting-secretary. On Mr Howe resigning the secretaryship, applications were called for the position, and Mr Swannell was selected from numerous applicants. He is the man for the position. Annual meetings are being held just now, and tJiere is * good deal of enthusiasm • in the air (says this Sydney Mail of March 10). At .the meeting of the Glebe Club the speeches delivered more or less showed the trend towards a more liberal allowance by the governing body to the players, even at a cost of breaking away from the English Rugby Union. Dr Bohrsmann, in the course of his remarks, said "he recognised the time was coming when New South Wales could no longer keep under the rules of the English Union unless they were altered. If not, they would nave to form an Australasian Union. The conditions which favoured the wealthy classes in th© Old Country would not suit a democratic country like New South Wales. He could assure them tlat the conditions of the players would be greatly improved this year."