RUGBY CONTROL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 March 1925, Page 4

RUGBY CONTROL.

POSITION IN TARANAKI.

THE SUB-UNION PROPOSAL

DISCUSSED BV ELTHAM CLUB

A discussion of interest to all supporters of the Rugby code in the province took place at the annual meeting of the Eltham Rugby Football Club on Monday evening, when , consideration was given to the Okaiawa Club’s notice of motion to the annual general meeting of the Taranaki Union proposing the division of the province into f. suitable sub-unions, or, as an alternative, the division of the province into northern and southern divisions for the purpose of the provincial competitions! The text of the motion (a copy of which appeared last Friday in the Star’s report of the Okaiawa ‘ Club’e annual meeting) is as follows: “That the present constitution of the Taranaki Rugby Union be altered so as to’allow ■of the province being divided up into suitable sub-unions, the sub-unione decided on to have the management of their own finance and inter-club matches; the Taranaki Rugby Union to be managed by an executive elected by, the sub-union; the executive to have control of all inter-sub-union matches, and to have full control and management of all representative fixtures ; final play-offs to determine the champion provincial team in each grade. That, railing the passing of the foregoing resolution, the province to be divided into northern and southern divisions for the more economical and efficient carrying out of senior club matches.” Opening the discussion, the chairman (Mr A. 0. Casey) said the club Jfoukl have to decide on the competition scheme to be supported during the ensuing year. Last year it bad supported the* Malone scheme, which had been very successful in maintaining interest in the game throughout the province, but was not altogether approved by some clubs, as it entailed a good deal of travelling. As Eltham was centrally situated, Jiowever, the necessary travelling did not affect the club ,so much. The union management committee believed that sooner or later sub-unions would come Taranaki. In Hawke’s Bay the scheme was already operating, and appeared to be functioning in the best interests of the game. Before receipt of the Okaiawa motion the Eltham Club’s management committee had' considered action on ‘ somewhat similar lines, and had decided to recommend that delegates be instructed to support the formation of a sub-union in South Taranaki. The Eltham committee thought the proposal or the north and south divisions would give improvements, but in the -absence of their adoption favoured l the retention of the Malone scheme.

Mr S. Dunbar explained, the success which had followed, the adoption of the sub-unions system*in Southland, where it had been found that the consequent reduction in travelling had made it easier for. clubs to'put teams ill the field. ' i

Asked if he could give an explanation of the sub-unions scheme, the chairman said it would: probably mean the formation of four groups,* viz.— Northern, comprising Clifton and the New Plymouth clubs; Coastal, comprising Rahotu, Okato and Opunake; Southern, comprising Patea, Hawera, Okaiawa and' Waimate; and Central, comprising Kaponga, Eltham, Stratford and Inglewood. These details, of course, were only given for the purpose of illustration; and could not be taken as the defined policy for the operation of the scheme. These sub-unions would operate under the control of a parent body which would administer provincial matters. Each would appoint- its own executive officers to ' handle its affairs and finance, and select, representatives to contest trials with the othbr subunions. From the trials the provincial representatives would be selected by the parent body. The-beauty of siich a system of selection was that instead of only 30 players appearing in trial games probably 120 would be given the opportunity of showing whether • they ' were worthy of representative honours. .4,; further, big advantage would be the relieving of the parent. body of a great deal of minor detail work which could be attended to by the sub-uni off executives. The proposal, however, was at present only a notice of motion to the annual meeting of the union, and could not therefore be brought into operation this season. Continuing, Mr Casey gave a brief outline of the working of the Malone scheme, which had been adopted during the previous season. This scheme entailed the division of the province into two groups, in arranging which the, endeavour was made to reduce travelling as far as possible. Under it the clubs had ■ benefited financially, each club participating in a game receiving 33 1-3 per- cent of the gate money and the remainder going to the union. The Malone scheme had undoubtedly provided interesting football, and apart from the sub-union scheme was, in the speaker’s opinion, the best provincial method of controlling the games. The McLeod scheme was another method' being considered, but as it meant the grading of the clubs the weaker ones would ‘be prevented from taking part in the more interesting games and sharing the bigger gates. During ensuing discussion- the opinion of the meeting seemed to favour the retention of the Malone scheme, and a motion, proposed by Messrs E. Forster arid L. Page, instructing the club delegates to , support the \ Malone scheme, was adopted after the defeat of Mr A. R. Gower’s amendment proposing that support he given the subunion’s scheme, and failing its adoption that- the Malone scheme be supported.