PAYMENT OF REFEREES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 89, 17 April 1911, Page 2

PAYMENT OF REFEREES.

DISCOURAGED BY NEW ZEA, LAND ASSOCIATION. At last year's meeting of the New Zealand Referees' Association a resolution was passed providing that referees officiating in matches outside their own district should be entitled to payment of 10s per day, in addition to travelling expenses. Subsequently the New Zealand Rugby Union filtered the amount to 15s per day. The matter came up at the meeting of the Association on Friday, when Mr. Hiddleston, of Canterbury, in moving that the provision in reference to the payment of referees should be struck out, said that a good deal had been heard lately about the payment of players., and if referees got money the t player had a perfect right to turn round and say : "I want payment for my services too." Continuing, the speaker said that the payment of referees, if continued, must end in the- payment of players, and since the referees had been the first to introduce payment it might be said that with them rested the blame of having brought football from the high level it had once occupied to "a scramble for pence." In Canterbury, referees in outside games received no more than travelling and hotel expenses, "This," concluded the speaker, "should satisfy any referee." Mr. M'Kemzie, Wellington, considered that the honour of officiating in a "rep" game should* sa-tisfy any referee. One effect of the payment of the 15s per day had been the curtailing of trips. A season or two back referees used to travel to other wntres to officiate, but now local referees were always appointed. The resolution abolishing the payment was carried unanimously. Subsequently the chairman stated that it would still be open to a referee to apply for payment, but unions concerned would not bo bound to pay.