CRITICISM ANSWERED

Evening Star, Issue 21708, 1 May 1934, Page 7

CRITICISM ANSWERED

RUGBY UNION AND CITY COUNCIL GDNTRI9UTSSNB TO CHARITIES AND GROUNDS Remarks passed by members of the City Council at a recent meeting in reference to the Otago llngby Lnion brought forth a lengthy .statement in reply at a meeting of the Management Committee of the O.R.F.U. held last night. To show to what extent the Otago Rugby Union in particular and sports organisations in general hail done to further the interests of the community in the past the secretary produced figures covering the period since 1885, which disclosed, in the opinion of members, a degree of public spiritedness for which the union had not been given credit, ft had raised large stints of money itself and had taken a prominent part with other sports bodies in the collection of thousands of pounds which had been handed over to the civic authorities for the general good. The donations made by the Rugby Union, totalling £22,880 Is 7d, were sot oitt as follows; * Charities, patriotic objects, and benefits £8,715 4 a Special donations Olympic Games. Empire Games, Hoekcv Association, 0.F.A., 0.R.A., A. ami R. .Society, 0.L.T.A., D.A.A.C., and other bodies ... 1,32(5 15 2 Referees’ Association ... 920 5 3 Donations to grounds, clubs for ground improvements, including donations for Monteeillo, Bathgate, Opoho, anil North Ground' pavilions, and Domain Board, £2OO (in most cases this was ft £ for £ subsidy to clubs who also found an equivalent amount to the donation of _o.lLF.lj.) ... 2,346 16 7 Footballers’ accident reserve fund 4,501 3 G School football 2.638 10 0 Otago Cricket Association (this does not include special rebates that have also been made to the association) 107 9 8 Country football 2,763 17 0 Unemployment 1,260 0 0 'Total £22,880 i 7 Reference was also made to the contributions made by the old Garden Fetes Society, of which the sports bodies had been a prominent and active part, the figures in 'this connection being set out from year to year as follow ; —1912. Oval ' £705 2 3 Jubilee Park 1-12 6 0 .Scrub fence, Town Belt ... IS 16 7 Seats for Town Belt IS 16 6 Contribution orchid house, Gardens ... 2.50 0 0 Total £1,135 2 1 —1913. North Ground £lO4 2 8 Opoho 96 3 7 Tram siteds ... 52 13 3 Oval 345 12 10 Rhododendron Dell ... ... 44 14 3 Children playgrounds ... 20 411 Account lighting at Gardens 80 8 10 ■Jubilee Park 1 17 8 Total £751 IS 0 —1914.City Council £SO 0 0 Monteeillo 25 0 0 Oval 460 0 0 Band rotunda 150 0 0 Lights for Gardens 80 0 0 Total ... £765 0 0 —1920. Reserves 175 0 0 Karitane Hospital '213 0 0 Total £3BB 0 0 —1922. City Corporation, for reserves £250 0 0 Amenities Society 51 0 0 Total £3Ol 0 0 —1923. City Corporation, for reserves £525 0 0 —1925. Bathgate Park 100 0 0 Opoho 100 0 0 City Corporation, lighting 100 0 0 Total ... ... £3OO 0 0 Grand total ... £-1,166 0 0 In addition to these .sums, a nmnstci sports gala was held at Carisbrook and an entertainment in His Majesty’s Theatre in aid of dressing accommodation at the Oval, and the proceeds were handed to the council. Moreover, sports bodies raised £17,000, which had all been spent on laying out Logan Park as a playing area. It was decided that a copy of the figures compiled by the secretary should be forwarded to every councillor, and, further, that the council should be informed that the committee resented very keenly the statements that had been made by certain councillors. Mr W. Alexander objected strongly to the insinuation that the union m.erqly wanted thirty players a week at Carisbrook and a good gate. He mentioned the fact that, 700 schoolboys were catered for every Saturday morning by the Boys’ Association, and that in the grade matches every week no fewer than 1,300 players took part. The remarks made by Cr Borne he characterised as a gratuitous insult to the union, and one that should not be allowed to go unchallenged. Mr V. G. Cavanagh said bis only complaint was that, after raising so much money for grounds, they had had to sit back- and see it wasted. They did not have a decent ground yet, and he was beginning to give up hope that they over would. Mr T. O’Shea said that he had been a member of the executive of the Mammoth Art Union, the whole of the proceeds of which went to Logan Park, and yet every time he looked at the ground he “ had a pain." Other members complained that aftei doing so much to provide grounds and amenities for players they still had to pay for the smallest service every yci>r.