PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 134, 8 June 1907, Page 5

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

"■THE TAINT OF ALL TAINTS.?'

PRECURSOR OF GAMBLING

NEW ZEALAND'S ACTION

PRAISED

Obess association.] (Received June 7, 11.26 p.m.)

SYDNEY, June 7. Professionalism in football was .severely criticised at the reception given to the Queensland team at the Town Hall to-night. Mr Calvert, President of the New South Wales Rugby Union, said that there was some danger of the taint of all taints as regards football—the professional game—looming up. He hoped that New South Wales and Queensland would resolutely set their faces against it. The moment professionalism entered anything, behind it cam© that abominable thing, the gambling spirit, and that was the spirit they wanted to jkeep out of a. good, manly game l"ke football. The Attorneys-General (Mr Wade), in jceferring to the damage which professionalism had caused in England, that the higher a-spects of the game were entirely lost, and it came ioibe.a matter of having in one pocket a large amount of money, and in the .otiiej' & larger amount of blue metal. Mr Oaks, a member of the Assembly, said ijhat he was glad to see the first attempt to introduce professionalism into TSew Zealand shut down on. Mr E. Teece said it was gratifying to learn that the .first attempt in New Zealand k&d met with such a formidable rebuff. Mr Lea, manager of the Queensland team, said that he did not think there was the slightest chance of profes.^onalism getting a hold in Queensland, but there was always a danger of its creeping in. They were determined to watch, and to keep the, game -clean. ~ ,

CABL.ENSWS. [by electric telegbaph.—copyeight-1