SOUTHLAND NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 12

SOUTHLAND NOTES.

[Special to the Star.] INVERCARGILL, April 17. The Northern Union League held a wellattended meeting. last night, and a good deal of enthusiasm (strictly amateur) was shown. The secretary submitted a balancesheet, which showed that the expenses of the past season had been £59 2s 4d, and the total receipts £4l 2s, leaving a debit balance of £lß’Os 4d. Against this, however, there is £ls (at least) owing from the Otago League in connection with the OtagoSouthland match at Dunedin, £2 6s from the Otago and Timaru Leagues for rule books, etc., and £1 for tickets sold in connection with the Invercargill match, thus leaving the League solvent to the extent of 5s 8d on.the year’s working. The secretary was instructed to write to the Otago League asking for a proper balance-sheet of all receipts and expenditure (including advertisements on programmes and tickets) of the match Otago v. Southland, held in Dunedin on October 3. It was decided to endeavor to have three teams (all strictly amateur) in tjre field this year, and the general impression of the meeting was that the game was suiting them down to the ground, and they were satisfied with things as they were. The New Zealand Rugby Union were taken to task for not disqualifying all player? who had taken part in the Northern Union game, including practices and the trial matches, one of which had resulted in a collection of £2. The secretary pointed out that even the. emergencies of the Northern tour got off’ while he himself had been disqualified although he did not play. He could not see why, if fifteen men were put up for playing under Northern Union rules in representative matches, those who played under Northern Union rules at the’trials and practices should not have received similar treatment. I hey played under Northern Union rules, and that should have been an end of it. He added that the objects of She League were fully explained to members when they signed an agreement not so go back to the old game. They knew that they should have a hard fisht, and they should have stuck together. He thought the League would be quite justified in sending in all the names to the New Zealand Rugby Union for disqualifi..cation, and if the New Zealand Union would not act they could be sent on to the j J English Union. The motion that all the names be sent on to the N.Z.E.U. was ; carried unanimously. ' _ Great interest is’ being taken in athletic circles in the forthcoming TTembath-Sanson race of 440 yds for £25. The Rugbv Union last night granted the use of their ground for the match at 10 per cent, rental, and it is anticipated that there will be a large turnout of those interested in athletics. __ At a meeting of the local Acclimatisation society complaint was made that those in the river districts would not give information to the society regarding poachers. It was pointed out that settlers were too afraid of their stacks being burnt or their stock injured to inform. The poaching depreciations had been very extensive, and the settlers complained that the river in particular had received a great deal of illegal attention, and had been so depleted as to be of no use for fishing. The president (Mr G. G. Burns) admitted that a good amount of poaching went on in isolated localities, but they would require a large number of rangers to cope with the trouble. It was mentioned that the present ranger, energetic and capable though ne ’Hras, might be a little more astute and a member suggested that he might leave his rod at home and carry a. swag, or adopt some ..unfamiliar disguise, which would he more..effective. He had even beard of the xanger’s movements by train being communicated to the poachers by friends, apropos of this, another member said that a Northern ranger, who was in the habit of assuming'various disguises, effected it with such good purpose V that ’even his friends sitting beside him in a railway carriage did not know him.