UNIFORM OR BLACK

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 118, 22 May 1925, Page 6

UNIFORM OR BLACK

SHOULD PROFESSIONALS JVEAR IT?

"SQUEEZING OUT THE' LEAdtJltfi

Veiy deoided opinions regarding ths use of the fern leaf and the all black uniform by New Zealand teams were es> pressed at a meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Football Association, last evening. The matter arose when the, following letter from the "New Zealand. Bugby Union was read: "My union is anxious to conserve the title 'All Blacks* and confine the use of the New Zealand Rugby uniform to those amateur sports bodies who have organisations and control New Zealand representatives in any field of sport. With this end in view it has been decided to send a -deputation to the Minister of Internal Affairs to obtain Government assistance and legislation, if that is necessary. I have been asked further to ascertain if you are prepared to join the deputation. If so, will you please let roe know as early as possible, po that the necessary arrangements can bs made.—-H. E. Combs, secretary." • Mr. H. I. Graves characterised the ac tion of the Rugby Union as an endeavour to squeeze out League. He thought the league people were just as entitled to use the fern leaf as anybody, and he was not in favour of being a party in squeezing out another sports body. Ha held no brief for League, but they wera entitled to use the fern leaf as the notional emblem of New Zealand. Per-' sonally, he thought the fern leaf should be made the universal emblem for New Zealand—by Act of Parliament, if necesi sary. It was an attempt on behalf of the) Kugby Union to prevent League playerS wearing their uniform in Australia thi* season and in England next season. ( Mr. F. Campbell said the matter needl ed very careful consideration. No doubfc they would like to conserve the unifornk tor amateurs, but the question was> could they _do it? He sympathised with the Rugby Union regarding its attitude towards professionalism, but he thought they -would have a very poor case to submit to the Minister of Internal Affairs. They had professional scullers in JNew Zealand, and they used the fern leaf and the all black uniform. He di.l not see how they could be stopped ftom doing so. Mr. B. L. Salmon doubted very much whether there was a sport in New Zea^ land which did not employ professionals of some sort. , Mr. Graves: "If we support the Eu C : by Union m this matter, we may place ourselves m * very awkward position? It is possible that in ten years we may have professionals of our own in New Zealand."

Finally, it was decided to set up a committee to go into the matter.