THE AFFILIATION QUESTION.

Evening Star, Issue 9386, 7 May 1894, Page 3

THE AFFILIATION QUESTION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —That Saturday night’s debate on the above was brief, and to some minds a trifle lopsided, was due, without a doubt, to the desire on most hands to save time, and a general consciousness that all present were possessed of personal intention or club direction one way or another. There being no waverers there were none to con>ince or pull out of the fire. The whole meeting was remarkable for unseemly gib’ug and interruption from a section that evidently istake noise for the voice of wisdom, and for a more unseemly altercation between the secretary and the chairman. Whether Mr Hutchison’s contention on by law 9 was good or not is of little moment compared to the necessity of maintaining the dignity of the chair, and the spectacle of members of the Executive voting against their head Joes not augur well. Turning to the whole debate on the proposal to affiliate, there can be little doubt that too much was made of the proposal to send a N.Z.U. team to England. Presumably the N.Z.U. was formed with other objects in view, and that it has other work will now be admitted. Taking that proposal into consideration, however, it was urged that no players here could go on bare expenses, and consequently some measure of professionalism must result. Then, to give weight to this, one or two back numbers solemnly corroborated the statement in person. Sir, inquiry has been made, and you can be furnished with the names of high class and reputable players who could accept such an offer without embarrassment. Could the Englishmen constituting Lillywhitc’s team afford to do the colonics in 1888 ? Did the self-conceived Atlas of our football world urge such argument then The Native team was taken up as an object lesson and darkly drawn, despite the fact that our Union, under immaculate management, played that team at both ends of its “peripatetic uxhibitioning.” The maiden effort of the N.Z.U. could not be spared, for docs not “all look yellow to the jaundiced eye ”? Jibing reference was made to the “ elaborate system of fines” and the sending over fresh men to enable the team to win its last match in Australia. Does not the system of fines betoken an honesty of purpose among the officers ? As to the other matter, have we forgotten the mission of T. Henderson and A. Gibson to Christchurch in 1837? If this is not straining at a gate and swallowing a saw-mill what is it ? The burden of some anti-aftiliators is: “We will ultimately have to join, but we will harden our hearts yet again.” That plank proved rotten in Pharaoh’s platform, and history does now and then repeat itself. On? member of the Committee says that as no opposition will be offered to the Canterbury-Otago fixture he will climb the fence into the other lot. This gentleman only concerns ns as being an early departure from the order “football politician,” being the first of the cross-country variety. The divisions on the question need not concern us at great length. The first is recognised and condemned as the act of a moribund commit tee, and Saturday’s division list but shows that they have “ left behind powers that will work for them.” It remains to be seen if the clubs desiring affiliation, who were again in a majority, will submit to be thwarted thus. Mutterings of dissevering power have already been heard, and if the footballers are made of the stern stuff wo suppose these mutterings will take form. Let the clubs and footballers who desire affiliation meet to consider the position. With such a nucleus as the Taieri, Zingari - Richmond, Alhambra, Kaikorai, Oamaru Athletic, Oamaru, and the possible elevation of some junior clubs into senior rank, the material for a first-class union lies to hand. Let them berid themselves of Colossus and barnacle alike.—l

am, etc., Kaikorai, May 7,

Adullamite.