N.Z. FOOTBALLERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 89, 14 April 1908, Page 3

N.Z. FOOTBALLERS.

PROFESSIONAL TEAM'S TOUR. THE BALANCE-SHEET. ACTUAL PROFIT, £6279, £216 FOR EACH IIEMBER,. (From 1 Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 6th March. [ It was n<>t intended that the balancoshecfc of the New Zealandcrs' recent football tour should become public property, but it has nevertheless found its way into print, and its details mako I interesting reading. ' Here aro the fig- ! ures as given : —

£9493 10 3 It was arranged that during the tour tho members should draw £1 per week for expenses. That for 22 weeks amounted to £638. aiftcrward there was £5641 left for division. The actual profit on the tour, therefore, up to tho time of leaving England was £6279. This means that each member of the touring party received £194, which, with tho £22 already drawn, mado his share into £216. The "interest on unpaid contributions to capital account" is explained by the fact that the whole of tho 29 who constituted tho party were supposed to contribute £50 each, toward the capital account ; those who were short of that amount were charged interest on the difference. SOME COMMENTS. Commenting on the subject, "Old Ebor," of tho Yorkshire Post, observes: "I fancy this is the last balance-sheet of the kind we.shall soe. Any future tour, either of New Zealanders .or Australians,, ought certainly to beiinder the control of a properly constituted authority." With reference respectively to the recent New Zealand tour and "to the coming, tour of tho Australian footballers, a Leeds correspondent complains of the unfairness of tho large percentage offered by the Northern Union to the visiting teams. Ho points out that some of tho Home clubs could do well with a larger share of tho proceeds, and ho thinks the powers that bo havo boon 100 generous in tho matter. "On tho face of it," remarks the Athletic News, "tho Now Zealand team certainly have realised a very handsome profit on their venture, but wo must not forget that the 'gates* have exceeded all expectations ; indeed, having regard to tho comparatively small area covered, and to the number of matches lost, the financial result js most extraordinary. Moreover, tho minimum guaranteo of £3000 was barely sufficient to cover tho actual expenses of the journey, and had the tour proved a failure, the individual members of tho team, In addition to going home empty-handed, would havo had to dip deeply into their own'.pockcts to provide the amount incurred in hotel and other incidental expenses in this country. It is, therefore, not sportsmanlike to begrudge those .who took the initial l-isk the financial success which has been achieved." "Again," continues the 6amo writer (Mr. J. H. Smith, of tho Athletic News), "the benefits derived by the Northern Union clubs cannot bo expressed in mere abstract figures. The Now Zealand fixtures proved such a great attraction that club membership largely increased all round ; , indeed, somo of the clubs moro than doubled the number of their subscribers. It is fallacious reasoning to argue chat season ticket holders get their contracts at such a cheap rate- that the ordinary weekly receipts suffer in consequence, becauso it has been proived timo and time again that increased gato receipts are invariably coincident with increased membership. In passing, it is only fair to say that to atlributo tho extended support accorded to professional Rugby football during the present season- wholly to the colonial visit would be inaccurate, for while this has unquestionably given a decided fillip to tho game, a v still more potent factor is that wo have now a code of rules which strongly appeals to tho spectator."

X\U\JJL,XI J-O. £ s. d. Gate receiptsSydney 427 11 1 Ceylon ..'. 50 0 0 England and Wales .: 8838 2 4 Acrobat 4 0 0 Fines from members 32 0 0 Interest on unpaid contributions to capital account ... 114 0 0 Bank interest, less charges.. . 27 16 10 £9493 10 3 EXPENSES. £ s. d. Ocean travelling 1125 4 7 Railway travelling 429 3 0 Hotel expenses •. 1371 14 0 Gratuities 63 9 3 Uniforms, gear, etc. , 64 ■ 2 1 Medical attendances „ 74 7 1 Organising expenses •. 40 0 0 Cables, postage, etc „ 36 4 3 Sundry payments 5 17 6 Auditors' fees > 4 4 0 Weekly allowance to members 638 0 0 Divisible profit 5641 4 6