THE CONTROL OF FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 71, 23 March 1908, Page 5

THE CONTROL OF FOOTBALL.

WELLINGTONS DISSATISFACTION. SIGNS OF THE TIMES. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WKT.T.TNGTON, thia day. One of the biggest surprises eve." sprung upon the football cominun: ity was the defeat of llr] G. F. S. Campbell at the annual meeting of the Wellington Rugby Union on Saturday niglit for the office of president of the New Zealand Rugby Union—a position -which he has held for many years; His defeat is attributed to the measures which he adopted at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Kugby Union .in . May last to prevent certain delegates of a persistently inquisitive frame of mind from obtaining information, as to the executive's doings in the previous season. Wellington footballers strongly resented his action, hence his replacement by Mr. T. M. Wilfofd, M.P. The victory for Mr. Wilford was a substantial one, and quite exceeded the expectation of his supporters. Another significant feature was the rejection of Mr. J. Murray as one of the Union's five delegates'to the New Zealand Rugby Union. Mr. Murray lias been one of the strongest defenders of the methods and policy of the parent union in the past, and his position at the bottom, of the poll, following as it does on Mr. Campbell's overthrow, has been the subject of much comment in high circles. It is also noteworthy that, notwithstanding all the efforts to secure him. a seat on the managing, coinmitte'e of the union, a brother of a prominent member of the New Zealand union'polled the fewest votes of the ten nominated can " didates. All this clearly goes to show that the feeling of footballers in Wellington is distinctly hostile to the.present executive of the governing body of Rugby in this Dominion. . The majority, at least, of Wellington Rugby Union delegates are determined to have the rules regarding professionalism thoroughly discussed, with a view to making material amendments in them. A long string of resolutions bearing upon the proposed alterations was submitted at the annual meeting of the union on Friday evening, but it was eventually decided to hold a special meeting to debate them. Mr, H. Mclntyre and Professor T. Hunter, of Victoria College, are. the leading spirits in the movement. Mr. Mclntyre had a preliminary canter, as it were, on Saturday night, when he spoke strongly about the past actions of the union in , looking upongifts of money to non-players connected with the union as legitimate and, not a ground for making the recipients professionals, although the rules governing the game of Rugby specifically state that professionalism consists of specified acts "by an individual." He also spoke of the peculiar position in which unions stood regarding persons disqualified from playing the game by reason of their acts, and said it was anomalous that such persons, should be eligible for office. For instance, there was nothing in the rules ito prevent the present manager of the New Zealand professional team of footballers being elected presi-. dent of a club, or to the management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union. For that matter, there had been too much "swallowing of camels" in the past, and the wrong rulings of the controlling powers in the past had brought this about. Practically they said that any one but the actual players could derive monetary benefit from, football and still be amateur, but by the rules we worked under half of the present members of the New Zealand Rugby Union were professionals.