RUGBY UNION “GATES”

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 31 October 1933, Page 7

RUGBY UNION “GATES”

ILOSSES AT HAWERA GROUNDS LETTER TO A. AND P. ASSN. MR. S. Et. NEIILSON INTERVIEWED STATEMENT BY SOUTHERN delegate ' The statement made to the Egmont A. and P. Association on Friday by the secretary of the Taranaki. Rugby Union that the use of the Hawera, showgrounds, at a rental of £IOO per annum, again showed a. loss to the Union was referred yesterday to Mr J. Rowe, the Hawera, representative on tile union. Mr Rowe said he could give no indication of how any loss was sustained, but apparently the secretary was referring to the financial returns from olub games only. Questioned as to the takings at matches other than club fixtures, Mi' Rowe confirmed a statement that the union this season had received a total of £6lO from Hawera, made up as follows : Wellington v. Taranaki match, £370; St. Patrick’s College v. New Plymouth High School game, £120; two play-offs between Patea and Waimate (£6O each), £l2O. The union received the whole - of the takings from these games, and clubs received a percentage of the “gates” on ordinary cluib fixtures only-. He could not say how the use of the grounds could result in a loss on a gross revenue of £6lO. Asked if the total expenses of renting the showgrounds and interest payments on the mortgage on Bayly Park and other ground rental charges in Hawera would total more than £175, Mr Rowe said he did not think so. The amount mentioned • would he approximately the figure paid. He could not explain how a< loss was sustained and suggested that the secretary could possibly offer a satisfactory explanation.

UNION SECRETARY’S STATEMENT

Interviewed on the above subject at New Plymouth to-day for the “Hawera Star,” Mr S. E. Neilson, secretary of the Taranaki Rugby Union, said: “The fact is there is little support for Rugby coming from the public of the Hawera district,” and he went on to quote ■figures showing that, with the exception Of the W ellington-Taranaki match, which is always played in Hawera during Winter Show week, the gate receipts at Hawera were much below those of many other grounds. “In fact,” said Mr Neilson, “since 1924 the revenue from the Hawera gates lias been consistently diminishing. The union looks to the ordinary club games to carry the domestic financial obligations of the union and any profits from representative matches go towards financing representative tours: The value of the Welliugton-Taranaki match as a gate is much enhanced by the fact that it is played during Winter Show week.” As an illustration of this Mr Neilson gave figures for two matches played at Hawera during the 1931 s.eason. In that year the WelMngton-Taranaki game turned in a gross gate of £336, while a match between Taranaki and Otago, also played at Hawera during the same season, returned only £BB. A semi-final game at Hawera in one of the junior divisions during the past season produced a revenue of £6O, while an ordinary club game between Stratford and Star, played at Stratford, gave a gate cf Over £IOO. The secretary produced a return which had beelx taken out for the union and supplied to all clubs, showing the average, cluib gates for the period 19241928. This showed that while in 1924 the Hawera gates averaged £22 16s per match, by 1928 the average had diminished to £ll 5s sd. With the exception of the Efltham Club, Hawera’s was the only South Taranaki ground to show a reduced revenue for that period. Bltham’s average diminished in. that period from £9 8s to £6 4s. During the same time the average New Plymouth return's had increased from £37 13s to £SO 19s. The following return, showing the average receipts for club matches during 1932, was quoted by the secretary:

JBltham £ s. .. 2 18 d. 7 Waitara .. Id 14 9 Okaiawa .. 8 0 7 Now Plymouth .. 31 IS V Inglewood G' 13 Stratford .. .20 4 4 Patea ... 12 16 7 Hawera .. 8 8 6 Opunake ..9 8 1 Manaia o 1 4 Kaponga ,. 9 10 2