UPROAR PREVAILS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 83, 20 March 1934, Page 7

UPROAR PREVAILS

A STORMY MEETING Wellington Rugby Referees MR. mow WITHDRAWS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 20. The annual meeting of the Wellington Rugby Referees’ Association last night was the stormiest ever held, and at intervals uproar prevailed. At the outset, when nominat'/oms were called for the presidency, the meeting was interrupted when complaints were made of a ticket ‘A being sent out to poison the minds of the younger members,” and a motion for the president, Mr. D. Calcinai, to leave the chair was defeated on the voices after a babel of cooss-talk. After a ballot, in whieh Mr. Calcinai was re-elected and shook hands with the only other nominee, Mr. Kittow, the chairman objected to a remark by the latter and the alleged use of the word “dirt.” 'At this stage a member stamped out of the room slamming the door. Mr. Kittow said he used the words “not fair. ’’ The chairman continued to refer to the remark by Mr. Kittow, which was inaudible to the pressmen, and added if that was what Mr. Kittow thought the association would be better without him. Voices: No; withdraw that. Uproar ensued when Mr Kittow‘made to leave the room. la response to appeals Mr. Calcinai withdrew his remark unconditionally, and Mr. Kittow left the ball. Mr. D. McKenzie, who previously had appealed unsuccessfully for discueaion of internal dissension in the association, regretted Mr. Kitto’s action, as he had been a faithful member for 25 years. He suggested that the new management committee approach Mr. Kitto with an olive branch. There was a further disturbance when Mr. Calcinai was criticised for having ridiculed the association’s instruction class in an address.