RUGBY DELEGATE

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18129, 19 July 1924, Page 12

RUGBY DELEGATE

MR MEREDITH'S POSITION. ALLEGED N.Z.R.U. DISCOURTESY (3JZCUL TO "THB TRESS.") WELLINGTON, July 18. Mr V. R. Meredith, of Auckland, who has been very prominently associated with tho Rugby game in New Zealand, and who was mentioned as a very suitable manager for the All Black team that is proceeding to England, and latterly as a delegate to the . Imperial Rugby Conference, alleges that he has been treated discourteously by the New Zealand Rugby Union. The following correspondence in regard to tho position has now been published:— On May 20th, Mr Meredith wrote to the secretary of the N.Z.R.TJ. as follows:

I understand that a delegate i 3 being sent by the New Zealand Rugby Union to attend a conference in London. My previous impression was that this delegate would be required to go with the team, and .required to be absent from New Zealand for an extended period. I understand now that this is not the case, and would bo glad if you would inform me what are the approximate dates of departure and return, as I now understand I am available if the Union sees fit to ask me to make the trip. The N.Z.R.U. secretary replied as follows on May 29th:—Re. delegate to Imperial Rugby Conference, your letter of 20th inst was before my committee last evening, when I was directed to advise you that your position has been noted, and will be duly considered when the matter of selecting the New Zealand delegate comes up for decision. Having received no further advice by June 20th, Mr Meredith made another request for information, writing as follows:—Regarding my letter of May 20th and your reply thereto, the information asked for in mine was not given. Before stating definitely that I will be available, I would require to know.the approximate dates of departure and return. As I understand, however, that the matter is already settled, it may not be worth while proceeding any further. If, on the contrary, there is any chance of my offer to go being seriously considered, I would be glad of the above information. To that letter no reply was forthcoming from the N.Z.R.U., and, being without the information which he desired, Mr Meredith sent the following telegram to the N.Z.B.U. secretary on July 2nd, the day on which the delegate was appointed: —Auckland Union kindly nominated me as delegate. In view of no details of dates being given to me in reply to my two letters, it is impossible for me to say if I am avuilable or not. Please withdraw my name from consideration.

Union's Explanation. Eight days after the appointment the N.Z.K.U. secretary wrote to Mr Meredith as follows:—Be. Imperial Eugby Conference, in view of your withdrawal of your nomination as a delegate, I have to explain that your letter asking for details was placed before my committee, but at that time they had only the vaguest details themselves, and the matter was held over until fuller information was received. They finally decided that it would be best for the delegate to sail with the New Zealand team on the Bemuera, if he could possibly do so. Beyond the fact that the conference will be held in London during December, my committee still has no definite information. The delay in replying to your request for information was due to no intentional discourtesy, but solely to the desire to give full information when the reply was sent. The following letter was forwarded by Mr Meredith this week to the secretary of the N.Z.8.U.:—1 have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 10th. inst. In reply thereto, I am not prepared to accept, any such explanation. The matter of the appointment of a delegate was, I take it, of «om* importance to the New Zealand Bugby Union, and to any person who contemplated making business arrangements to enable him to go to England. Of course I recognise that apparently others were able to make their arrangements without knowing any details of any event. If no definite information was available, it was a perfectly" simple matter to'say so, and just as easy to say it when asked for instead of eight days after the appointment was made. The only explanation open is one of deliberate discourtesy, or an absolute disregard of attention to correspondence, which one would hardly expect from a body controlling out national game. The matter is closed as far as I am concerned, and I merely write this letter so that it may be definitely understood that I do not for one moment accept your explanation.