FOOTBALL.

Evening Star, Issue 14183, 7 October 1909, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY AT AUCKLAND. A special meeting ol tho Auckland Union w;i.. held last night for the purpose of dis-cii-.vdug the present crisis in the game. Mr A. Ik Devore (president of tho Union) was •in the chair, and there were about forty pcnple present, rcpioseutiug officers of dist riit clubs, delegates to the AuciOand Rugby I n mu. and uveimbers of the Auckland Rugby Refeiets’ Association. I he position of affairs was freely disin.rad. and the abolition of the district sihciuc was projiosed as an amendment to ‘ a proposition to make the residential qnalifi' iitiuM more stringent.—The meeting, alter iinii'iiK-rahle discussion. decided to recommend to the special meeting t-o be hold 1 ofore the annual meeting of the Auckland I iiion that the qualification he altered from four to twelve mouths. Gcinddenible discussion also arose over the govemmeiit of the game in New Zealand, and many comments were made as to tin. - la.xitv of the methixls of the Mamurenient Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union. One of the suggestions put fnrwaid was in favor of the removal of the Inv.dquartei-s of the Union from Wellington. in older t-o assist in making Rugby more popular.—The following resolution was carried -“That in the opinion of this meeting the New Zealand Rugby Union should be urged to take immediate steps to carry out the provisions of the motion passed at a meeting of' delegates at Wellington in October last, in reference to a conference being held between New Zealand and Australia in regard to a modification of the laws of the game of Rugby football.” It was also decided to send a copy of the resolution to the affiliated unions throughout the Dominion. PAfD FOOTBALLERS ARE “WORKMEN.” Mr Justice Harring'on gave judgment at Croydon County Court recently in the Crystal Palace football case, which raised tho important question as to whether a professional footballer was entitled to compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act for injuries received while playing. The plaintiffs (George Walker, of Benge, and Richard J. H. Roberts, of Upper Norwood, two former niera'oo’-s of j the Crystal Palace team) claimed damages • from the Crystal Palace Football Company, Ltd., for injuries received while plavine in matches. ‘ ° Iu giving judgment, His Honor said the defendants were a limited company, whose I business was to conduct football," and for this purpose they eullsted the services of prolessional players. These players had to enter into certain contracts, and were bound down to serve the company exclusively during the period of such contracts. H was obvious that the section of the \\ orknien s Compensation Act referred to | in these cases was very wide, and al- I though it did not specify cases like (be one before him, it was pretty obvious that they came within the scope of the words “or otherwise. ’ Iu his opinion the contracts established the relations between employer and workman as intended by the Act. A professional footballer w;u- engaged to play, and, through playing, he earned his livelihood, and defendanis cngaged plaintiffs in the same way as workmen were engaged as skilled" artisans. Taey had full control over the footballer • ho was at their beck and call, and had to devote the whole of his time to the service of the ckib. taking into consideration all tho circumstances, he thought the, proper course would be to award Walker' compensation at the rate of £1 a week from Apt il J) to June 15. As, however, it was possible that tne operation mL-ht not hive removed the imaiuicitv, 'he thoughl the plaintiff's rights shoidd be kept nlivo from that date, and that then; should be a suspensory award of onepennv a week from June 15," so that in the event of an, operation being made without a cure he would bo able to come to the courts and reopen his claim. In regard to the case of Roberts, the circumstances of which were similar to those of Walker, it was clear that plaintiff either neglected or refused to go under the operation. He thought that had he taken this course in January he would have been cured by the middle of Mav and been ready to offer again his services to the club. Therefore, in the case 0 f Roberts, he would award two moqtbs’ cr- m . pensation at the rate of £1 a week, wirii a suspensory award as in Walker’s case. Stay of execution was granted pending an appeal. NOR'ITfERN UNION ~..M E The final football match of tin* season under Northern Union rales will be played at Victoria Park. Auckland, on Satuidav, when Auckland will meet Wellington. The home team will be; Full-back. Chorlev ■ three-quarters—Woodward. Asher, Papa’kuia. ntiuiway ; five-eighths. Jackson ; halfback, J. R. Wvnvard ; forwards—Griffin. Dunning, Mackrell, Tyler, Grundy, and seager.