INJURED FOOTBALLERS' BENEFIT FUND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12424, 13 February 1901, Page 2

INJURED FOOTBALLERS' BENEFIT FUND.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RUGBY UNION SUB-COMMITTEE. DEFERRED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. At the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union, held last evening, the sub-committee, appointed to draw up recommendations for the establishment of a- benefit fund for injured footballers, reported that it had drafted 1 the following recommendations: —(1) Ail matters in connection with the fund shall be under the control of the General Committee, who may appoint a sub-committee for the carrying" out of these rules; (2) each club shall 1 subscribe two guineas per year to entitle its members to the: benefits thereof; (3) each player entitled to participate in the fundi shall have the services of the doctor or doctors appointed by the Union, and in addition shall be paid £1 per week whilst unable to follow, his occupation, by reason of an accident received whilst .playing football under the control of the G.R.U; but in no case shall a claimant receive payment for a longer period than ten weeks; (4) no claim shall be entertained from any player who is nob a - financial member of an affiliated , club; (I) the secretaries of all clubs shall furnish to the secretary of the Union a list of the financial members of their clubs and no player shall participate in the fund whose name,J*as-not been-; forwarded prior to the accident; (6) no claim shall be entertained unless .the, accident in respect of which the claim is mad# has been reported to the: referee in charge of the match or to one of the committee of the Union, upon the day of the match; (7) no claim shall be entertained 1 unless, accompanied by a doctor's certificate to the effect that the applicant hat*, by reason of the accident specified in the claim, been incapacitated from- following his occupation during the period claimed for, and (8) any contingency arising in with the fund which is not provided for in the rules shall be left to the discretion of the committee. A long discussion on clause 2 followed. Mr J. R. Evans was in favour of increasing slightly the subscriptions of members of clubs, a* it would not be fair to ask small clubs to pay the same amount as larger clubs. Mr Walton thought the amount of subscription was totally inadequate to furnish such a fund. The Secretary said the, recommendations were based on the rules of the Auckland Union's fund. ' Mr Walton said a plan might be arranged whereby an amount could be paid in for each competition. The Secretary 'suggested tha,t, as an alternative, the proceeds of one match in each season might be devoted to the fund. The Union were only trustees of the general fund and the footballers were those Who made the,general fund. Mr Frost said accidents had been so few that he did not think' there would be a big claim on the fund. Mr Walton said that many minor accidents happened, incapacitatinig .footballers ■from work-for a short time. The Union never heard of these now, but they would come into prominence were a fund established. Mr 'Evans said the Union owed it to the footballers to establish, a benefit fund as uhey actually provided the funds. The subscription of two guineas might be tried for a year, and if the arrangement proved unsatisfactory some other might be made. Mr Adams then moved that Clause 2 should be passed. . This was seconded by Mr Caverhilh

: Mr Walton moved, as an amendment, that each club should subscribe one guinea for every fifty members, or fraction of fifty, comprised in the list to be supplied, according to clause 5._ He then withdrew the number stating that that could be arranged by the sub-committee. Mr Adams asked leave to withdraw 'his motion until some definite information could be obtained from Auckland regarding the working of the Auckland Union's fund. Leave being given it was decided to postpone consideration, until the sub-committee had received further information from Auckland regarding the number of player® insured, the amounts received from various clubs, the number of claims?)received, and any further information relating to the working of the scheme.