RUGBY DISPUTE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1075, 23 July 1924, Page 6

RUGBY DISPUTE

OLD BOYS-WESTERN GAME. DECISION OF ONION CO STAND. At last night's meeting o’ the management committee of the Manawatu Rugby Union the much discussed question of tho action of the committee in awarding the Western-United juniors tho game in which they were to have met Ok Boys, owing to the fixtures’ committee having, ultra vires, it was decided, awarded a postponement, again came under review. Air C. W. White, *in accordance with notice of motion given at last week’s meeting, moved that the minute awarding the game to Western-United be rescinded and that the match be replayed: In support of his contention, Mr White stated that he would like to make his position cleur. lie was not a delegate of the Old Boys’ Club anj held no brief for it, but as a member of the committee he wished to refute the statement that he, personally, had put tho match off. His reason for putting forward the motion had been due to the hardship which, he considered, the Old Roys’ team had been subjected to, whereas 'ho players had noted in good faith and had thought they had dealt with tho union in regard to the request for a postponement. He had thought that tho match had been put off by the other members of the union and had informed the secretary of the Old Boys’ Club to that effect and, at the same time, owing to pressure of business, he had made the request that the secretary of the W esternUnited Club be informed in turn. He was, however, quite prepared to shoulder any reprimand and, if the committee considered ho had exceeded his duties, he vyus prepared to go so far as to hand in his resignation if such was desired. When lie hau been informed that the game had been postponed, ho had notified the Old Boys Club secretary to that effoc. and tho club had acted accordingly; if tile club was to be penalised as a result of such action, be considered the union’s doc.sion was too severe. “INFLICTING AN INJUSTICE.” Mr Faire, in seconding the motion, stated that the action of the Old Boys’ othcial had been admittedly v.-rong, but it was the duty of the union to sheet the blame home to the right source, lhe Club had made its application through the proper channels and had accepte 1 Air Whites statement as official. 'I he members concerned had been undoubtedly wrong in grunting tiie postponement, but there was an elementary principle in justice that, if two were in the wrong, the one with the last opportunity to rectify tho mistake was tho more to blame. In comparing the status of the two bodies, the speaker maintained that the Old Boys’ Club was run bv boys and, if their mistakes were inexcusable, how much more so were those of the older heads of the itnioi. members. Hie Western-United Club had not fielded a team and thus could not claim a default on those grounds, ile, personally, felt that the union, by its action, was indicting all injustice. _ „ ORIGIN OF REQLEST.

Mr Proud, in explaining the origin of the request, stated that the secretary of tiiu Old Boys’ Club bad approached him relative to a postponement of tho jutnor game. That official had then stated that the team would be six playsrs short in the seniors and, if the postponement was not granted the senior team would default. He, personally, had been .00 busy to attend to the matter, but in die interests of the public and football generally he bail approach'yj Mr White and lad advised him ot the position, lie had informed the Old Bovs’ Club official at the time that it was the’ duty of the junior team to fulfill the requirements of the seniors, hut had promised to ring the members of the union on the matter. Ha had her rung Air W hite and hud asked him to get into touch with the fixtures committee and as many of the union members as possible. Ho hud, unfortunately, made an error in that no had stated the fixtures committee instead of the postponement committee. However, if tho blame was uttribut able to him, lie wus prepared to shoulder it. " PRESIDENT’S VIEW. Air Ilannay mentioned thut he had been out of town at tile time and lad been surprised on arrival at the wiekly meeting lo lind that sucti action hud been taken. However, on reviewing the position, he felt certain that they bad done the wrong thing and, instead of penalising the members concerned, th ?y had penalised tho club.

Air Carruthors maintained ihat the secretary of the Western-United Club had not known anything about the matter till 11.30 a.in. on the Saturday morning, and at 11.45 a.m. hud informed he speaker that he was unable to get in touch with tho players, 'hi proceeding lo the ground, the secretary hid fotnd ihe players there and tho tatter hud felt the t they had been imposed upon. Air Crawford: “1 am unable to understand how it v.as that the Old Boys’ Club secretary was advised and not the WesternUnited official.” AIR ONGLEY’S STATEMENT.

Air Ongley then roso to slate that he would like to make the position clear, tie agreed with Air C ure that the Old Hoys' Club had been wrong and that the union hud been wrong in the manner in which the matter had been dealt with. However, whatever excuse was ottered, it was a case of getting down to facts. Jiut, to obtain them, it appeared that they would have to go after them. The Uld Boys' Club secretary had stuted that six players were not available and, if tho postponement of the junior game were r.ot given, the seniors would default,. Further, lie was unable to understand why an official of the union had taken it upon himself to t.ell the club that the union had put the match off. Of tire fixture committee of four, Air Faire had btated that it could not be done and Mr liannay had been out of town, while Air Eglinton had been reluctant to act, which had resulted in an equal division of opinion. Strangely enough the members ot the postponement committee had not been approached. Air Carruthors, as delegate from tlie Western-United Club, had been ail interested party while, in tho absence of Air liannay, he (tho speaker) had been the chief official of the union, yet neither had been approached. Coming down to the club, it was not wrong -in applying for a postponement but it had seemingly threatened to withdraw it.) senior team and had not made an application for a bye. There were, in his opinion, two possible explanations—either that the Old Boys’ juniors had refused to go into the senior ranks or that the club cfficial had misrepresented the position. If tho juniors had refused to assist their seniors, then the club had not been harshly dealt with, but on the other hand, and he believed such to he correct, if the juniors bad not been a[>proached, they deserved iho penally owing to the action taken by the club officials. Either way, the club was bound to suffer. He was of the opinion that, if tho players had been informed that tho request could not be granted, both the Old Boys’ teams would have taken the field. it was a strange feature that, of the 15 names handed in for publication on the Friday, only one had failed to take the field. MOTION LOST.

Air Faire presented replies to a number of questions put by him to the Old Boys’ secretary, but owing to lack of detail they failed to reveal any fuither light, on the subject. Air Proud, however, stated that he could vouch for tho fact that some of the Old Boys’ juniors, with whom he had tome in contact on tho Saturd ly morning, had not been approached by their club official. Mr Hatch held that, is Western-United had on occasions taken the field with 10 men if Old Boys did not elect to turn out short-handed a default should bo credited to Western United. Mr Collins, in annou icing that he intended opposing the inot on, staled that he did so because there wis a tendency for certain members to constitute themselves the union and to enter into decisions without consulting the other members Mr White, in reply to Mr Ongley stated that it appeared that the blame had been nut on to him which, however, ho was nuite ready to share. Ho had rung Air Fairs and Mr Eglinton ind had requested rimr Mr HiixcliO. H© had not taken* a.ny further actior until Mr Haxche hud advised him that the match was off Mr Hardio, however, disagreed with the fatter statement, saying that he merely had

expressed agreement and had not tuken it upon himself to bo the deciding factor. Mr White: Then I am more in tho wrong tluyi I thought I was. The chairman (Mr Hannay) then put the motion to tho meeting, but it was lost on a %how of hands, three members voting for the rescinding of the former motion and nine against. Thus Western United gain the match by default. Tho voting list was as follows:—For tho motion: Messrs White Faire and Eglinton; against, Messrs Carruthers, Clevely. Collins, Crawford, Hatch. Hardie, Ongley’ Pagan and Trevena. Mr Lyon was unable to attend the meeting.