A DISAGREEMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12424, 13 February 1901, Page 3

A DISAGREEMENT.

11UGBY UNION AND LANCASTER PARK COMPANY. At the meeting .of the Canterbury Rugby Union Executive Committee, held lust evening, in the Clarendon Hotel, the Secretary reported that ■he had been in communication with the Lancaster. Park. Company in regard to an extension of the football stand in Lancaster Park. A letter was read from Mr F. Wilding, Chairman of Directors of the Park Company, stating that he would recommend his directors to double the size, and rather more than double the sealing accommodation, of the present football stand at Lancaster Park, if fair financial arrangements could be made with the Rugby Union. If .the accommodation were doubled, it would-be reasonable 'to suppose that the receipts would'be materially increased. He was of opinion that the increase, or a large proportion of it, could be fairly allocated to meeting the necessary outlay. The writer considered that it woulcl be best to follow the arrangements under which the stand was originally constructed, and would therefore suggest—(l) That the company should get the work done before Easter; (2) th a t in future one-third of the stand receipts should be paid to the Union, and that one-third should be retained by the company ; (3) that the remaining one-third should be accumulated from year to year by the company, until the additions were fully paid for, after which the Union should receive two-thirds, as heretofore. If the present tendency of the public to patronise the stand more and more each year continued, it would be reasonable to expect that the loss of revenue to the Union would be extremely small, and continue only for a short time. . The scheme would largely benefit the finances of the Union and the Company in the long run. Considerable discussion followed the reading of the letter, the committee being unanimous in the opinion that the Union had not received fair treatment from the company. The Secretary stated that the stand practically belonged to the Union. It was ultimately resolved, on the motion of Mr Walton, that the committee should propose to the Park Company" that the latter should double the.sta-nd accommodation on the following terms—the Rugby Union to take onehalf of the gross takings for the stand, and the .Park Company one-fourth, the remaining fourth to go to a sinking fund for payment of the cost of enlargement; when the sinking fund amounts to the cost of enlargement, tha old arrangement between the Union and the company to be reverted to, viz., that two-thirds of the takings should go to the Union, and one-third to the company, always provided that the Rugby Union may at any time, of its own motion, pay-into the sinking fund a sufficient sum to cover two-thirds of the balance of the cost of enlargement, and thereupon the old arrangement, as aforesaid, to immediately come into force.