MAORIS AND THE LEAGUE

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 99, 28 April 1922, Page 8

MAORIS AND THE LEAGUE

——■—» " ATTEMPT TO INTTATENCE.' j RUGBY CHAIRMAN'S APPEAL. | (By Telegraph.--Piess Association.) . ' WELLIXGTOX, Thursday. Reference was made hy the president - of the New Zealand Rugby Union I Mr. f J. McLeod i at the annual meeting of the . t union yesterday to an attempt which he , f said was being made to influence Maori , r Rughy players to play under l lie other, i code, dust what steps should be taken '. i to meet the position he could not exactly ! 1 say. hut be thought such men as Mr. ! s Parat.i, Hon. Dr. Pomare. and others, j ( who were associated with tiie amateur ! p game, could bring the Maori- to a rea- '» lisation as to what they were being led jj into. The s-übjeet. was somewhat difficult y ro speak upon without saying too much, j but they should realise that Maoris were a rather liable to he influenced by such .; propaganda, and that unless something j a was done they might easily bo won over i a to the other game, to the detriment of j j Rugby. He though; that if an appeal!, was made to the Maori players it would go home and the position would thus be ! j well met. The Maori.- should be made to I t thoroughly understand what was happen- : -. ing. An attempt was being made to win , v the Maori over to the Northern Union •. game, and that was the last thing they j wanted to see happen. Many of the best ; players in the country were Maoris, and ! '1 generally they made better amateurs than j, the other players. It would be a sad thing indeed if a large section of those .players were won over, not understand- r ing whither they were being led. The "• union must take cognisance of the posi- •" tion and do all it could to prevent ' developments. I 11