NATION-WIDE PETITION

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28981, 24 August 1959, Page 10

NATION-WIDE PETITION

AU Black Tour Protest

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 23.

The Citizens’ All Black Tour Association is to conduct a nation-wide petition to further its campaign to bring about a reversal of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s decision to exclude Maori players from selection for the New Zealand team to tour South Africa next year. This was announced after a meeting of the executive of the association on Saturday. The exact wording of the petition has not yet been determined. but it will be in line with the objectives of the association which are “to combat racial discrimination in the selection of the 1960 Rugby team to tour South Africa, and to demand the abandonment of the tour if absolute equality of treatment cannot be assured.”

The executive believes there is evidence of enough support in the community for these objectives to enable the association to conduct one of the biggest petitions ever seen in this country. In order to organise the petition on a nation-wide basis, the executive is planning for a national conference to be held in Wellington next month. The conference will also discuss future policy and activities. It is expected that it will be attended by delegates from the numerous branches of the Citizens’ All Black Tour Association and by its supporters from Northland to Southland. The petition forms will be circulated in some districts as soon as the first batch has been printed. \