THE TWO ASSOCIATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 67, 16 September 1922, Page 14

THE TWO ASSOCIATIONS

LEAGUE ANP CUP WINNERS

JUNIOR PLAY AND COACHING.

(By ."Vanguard,")

The' trouble between the New Zealand q.nd,the Wellington Associations came to a head in the meeting of delegates from Wellington district clubs on Wednesday night, and the whole business was thrashed out in a very candid manner— the speeches were straight and to the point. Just what will happen now is difficult to forecast, for the troub^ is not yet settled, the final result depending on the result of the conference proposed by $he meeting with the New Zealand Council. The position is that the club delegates expressed their entire confidence in the present Management Committee, and that the members of that Management' Committee have not yet decided as to whether tliey are to remain irr office or whether they will resign en bloc after the conference. That must depend upon the conference— if there is a conference; If they consider that they cannot carry oij under the, N.Z.F.A., then the question of seceding will be referred aga(n to the club delegates after due notice' has been giyen of the intention to reviews tho standing of the two- associations as determined by Rule 1.

That conference is likely to be stormy, very stormy, for speakers at the meeting spared the New Zeiiland Council not at all, ahd in plain and quite unnjjstakable English accused certain members of the council and members of the Keferees.' Association of working in together, not merely in connection with the M'Arthur appeal, but. in regard to other ■ aspects of game control. The council will ask for an apology, there can be no doubt about that, and the referees will ask for another; but will the Management Committee give thoge apologies 1 The statements were straightout and" were unqualified, and, in view pf the full vote of confidence expressed by the delegates—though there were loud dissentient voices upon the point of certain referees being allocated' to all the best games while others took what was coming to them —those speakers may consider, it necessary to stick to their guns, and the conference may be a' frostr—again, if there is a conference. The secession question was tiever before the meeting as a straight-out issue, though it was talked round and round all through iihe evfcnmg, but the general opinion appeared to be that secession would mean a bad set-back to the game. The chairman, Mr. A. E. Wells, was asked whether, in the event of the failure of the' heart to heart talk, the committee would decide upon a breaking away, but stated that at that stage he wasvnot a^ble to make a pronouncement. Jn any case, that is so important a matter thai a full meeting of all club representatives will have'to be called to decide upon it. The present trouble has been coming for long enough—for seasons past^—and the sooner it is over the better: True, the M'Arthur appeals were, the final straw as far as the W.F.A. was concerned, but let it. be hoped that that incident will not figure in the roundtable talk. Football people are thoiv oughly ,tired of it. ■ There are faults on both sides, and, probably Mr. A. D. Barnett hit the nail fairly on the head 1 when he said that it would do both associations good to spend a few minutes before a couple of mirrors, seeing themselves as others saw them.'

As a "matter of fact, the Wellington Association is not the only affiliated association dissatisfied with the N.Z.F.A, as now constituted, that is, if "there is any basis for the rumour^ that the South Island associations have considered the question of seceding. That, matter wa^ not mentioned at Wednesday's meeting, and it may be that there is not very sound ground for the rumour, but the old, adage as to.smoke and fire is generally not far off the mark. Something has to be done, and again I say, the sooner the better. •