REFEREES' ASSOCIATION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 106, 6 May 1924, Page 5

REFEREES' ASSOCIATION

PROTEST AGAINST ALTERED

FIXTURES,

• The Wellington Rugby Referees' Association, met in the V.M.C.A.' Rooms ..last evening,- Mr. T. A. Fletcher (president) being in the chair. There were about forty members present. Mr. Goodall (of Hawke3 Bay) applied frr transfer to the Wellington Association. There were also several applications for membership. The president reported that he had placed the poor position of the association in regard to membership very forcibly before the union, which body fully endorsed the association's action in deciding to cut out grades if sufficient referees were not forthcoming. The union was sending out. a circular to clubs, and, he thought, was really doing its best to.secure recruits to the 'Referees' Association. There was some discussion regarding ; the notice which, -should be given before cutting put some of the grades, said Mr. Fletcher; some members of tho committee were favourable to the associations-idea of one week, "while others considered two weeks' notice as a fair thing. Finally, it was agreed that the referees should doublebank for a couple more Saturdays. It ■was suggested at the union's meeting that the third and intermediate grades be cut out on one Saturday and the fourth and fifth grades on the following Saturday. , Reporting upon the business transacted by the executive, Mr. Fletcher said :that it had been decided to write ■ to the Wellington Rugby Union pro- ' testing against alterations to fixtures .late in tho week. "We had a rare bunch last week," he- said,,," and it upset things considerably. ' Referees ■were subjected to inconvenience. We cannot really see the necessity for these alterations. We are also going to put before the union... the question of defaults, of which there were a number "last Saturday." On# member was set down for two games at Petone, and neither was played. Another member had a similar experience in town." "The union should fine defaulting teams " Mr. Fletcher added. A recommendation was made by tho executive that the Classification Committee be asked to give candidates for senior status the option of an oral examination in place of a written examination. . Messrs. J. Peterson and J. E. Sutton burner were unanimously elected members of tho association. • Ata r , i"teresting paper on " The Offside Rule was read by Mr. FJetcher who characterised the rule as the most difficult for young referees to interpret It was certainly the one of which players and public were most ignorant, Mr. Fletcher added.