THE MAORI FOOTBALLER

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 4576, 29 April 1922, Page 4

THE MAORI FOOTBALLER

BEING LED TO THE OTHER CODE. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, April 27. Reference was made by the President of the New Zealand Football Union (Mr J. McLeod) in the course of his remarks on the annual report and balance sheet at the annual meeting of the Union yesterday, to the attempt which he said was being made to influence Maori Rugby players to play under another code. Just what steps should bo taken to meet the position, he said he could not exactly say, 'but he thought such men as ; Mr Parata, Dr. Pomare and others , who wore associated with the amateur game to bring the Maoris to the realisation as to what they were being led into. The subject was somewhat difficult to speak upon without saying too much, but they should realise that the Maoris were rather ■liable to be influenced by such propaganda and that unless something was done they might easily be won over to the other game, to the detriment of Rugby. He thought that if an appeal was made to Maori players it would go home and the position would thus be well met. The natives should be made to thoroughly understand what was happening. An attempt was being made to win the Maori over to the Northern Union game. That was the last thing they wanted to see happen. Many of the best players in the country were Maoris and generally they made better amateurs than the other player. It would be a sad thing indeed if a large section of those players were won over not understanding whither they were being led. The Union must take cognisance of the position and do all it could to prevent developments.