RUGBY AFFAIRS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 38, 21 March 1914, Page 5 (Supplement)

RUGBY AFFAIRS.

CANTERBURY UNION'S ANNUAL

MEETING. IMPORTANT MATTERS. " , T&E FINANCIAL POSITION. There was a good attendance of delegates at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, held in the Chamber of Commerce Hall last evening. Mr G. H. Mason presided. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. In moving the adoption of the outgoing committee's report and tire bal-ance-sheet —which have been referred to at length in THE SUN—the president regretted that last year hM nfbeen the financial success it was hojyed to be. There had been heavy, and unanticipated, expenditure in certain lines, but he expected that it would prove a good asset to Rugby football in the district. The tour -to the West

Coast had cost a certain amount, as all tours must, but the benefit to the game in the West Coast no doubt would be commensurate with the expenditure. Referring to the insurance fund, Mr Mason said that a resolution was passed lastvyear that a certain sum should be contributed to the fund annually. It was possible that if the resolution were strictly carried out it might prove to be a hardship to the funds of the Union. A mbtion on the matter would be moved later. From a football point of view, the Union could congratulate itself , f on the play last year, and on the interest taken in the games by the general public. Passing on to the question of international visits last year, the President said he was perfectly satisfied .that tie visit of a New Zealand team to California and British Columbia had done a whole lot of good. All the good had not shown itself at present, but he ivas sure it would show itself in ; future. The team had found that the ■great majority of the people there •knew absolutely nothing about our game lintil they went there. The Australian team's visit to the Dominion had also been a great success. Although he was not in favour of over much travelling, he was certain that the •standard of play would improve a great

deal if a more frequent inter-change of visits between New Zealand and Australia could be managed. -Mr F. L. Murray seconded the motion. THE TRAINING HALL. Mr W. G. Garrard said he was rather surprised to find that the training hall account had not been included in the balance-sheet. He took it that the hall was an asset of the Union, but there was nothing to show the financial position of the hall —whether there was anything owing on it. The Union had certain obligations, which included a trip round the North Island, involving a cost of about £3OO, but that trip would be revenue-producing, and therefore it was an obligation the Union should fulfil. The Union, however, had gradually been going to the bad to the tune of about £4O a year by playing junior representative matches, and therefore the question of discontinuing them should be seriously considered. -He quite realised that the committee had to meet some extraordinary expenditure during the past year. Possibly, though, 1 the money spent on the West Coast tour might have been spent to better advantage on Canterbury football. The President remarked that for a