GATE MONEY.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 1941, 8 October 1921, Page 5

GATE MONEY.

A. AND I*. AND RUGBY UNION. BOTH SIDES STATED. Mr H. Y. Lethbridge, president of the Manawatu A. and P. Association, I has issued a statement in which he points out that the Manawaln A. and P. Association is not up against the sporting bodies of this district, but is struggling with its self-imposed task of raising the standard of the country’s products and conferring a great educational benetit to the farmers of the country. Dealing with the comment that the A. and P. Association was trying to “bleed” the Rugby Union, Mr Lethbridge says: The amount paid to the Manawatu A. and P. Association during the last ten years by the Manawatu Rugby Union (excluding the Springbok match) tots up to £l7O ]/. Of that amount £76 6/ was received last year, and was the Association’s share of the sum of £703 2/4 taken at the Showground gates. The Showgrounds have been the free nursery for football for many years past, being regularly used by the public, secondary and private schools to train their scholars. It is therefore apparent that the Rugby Union is fed from this free nursery. The committee knows of no instance of having received any donation specially to keep up the grounds for the Manawatu Rugby Union. It seems that the members of that body are of the opinion that £76 out of £760 is an unwarranted charge for one of the finest football grounds in the Dominion, and in view of the foregoing facts, which .point to* the tremendous task lying on the members of the committee, we should rather say that it should be the aim of the Manawatu Rugby Union to take on themselves the task of fostering and aiding the Association instead of accusing it of “bleeding” the Union. Why not vote a good amount of their accumulated funds U> provide the necessary improvements and get a working partnership ? The amount received from the Rugby Union is a mere drop in the very large bucketful accessary for the maintenance and improvement of these magnificent grounds, which have been acquired by long years of selfsacrificing toil and giving. A broader outlook is greatly needed, with a full recognition of the fact that though the Manawatu A. and P. Association is apparently wealthy in property assets it takes money to make the wheels go round. Everyone in this town and district should seriously ponder the facts contained in this statement, which resolve themselves into tho one word, "support.” MR ONGLEY REPLIES. Mr A. M. Ongley, chairman of the Rugby Union, in an interview with a representative of the "Manawatu Daily Times” last night, said: —“From the published statement of the A. and P. Association, it would appear that that body has at least two sides. The lengthy statement of the aims and objects is published with the apparently evident Intention of enlisting public consideration, sympathy or support, yet this same body, in dealing with the Rugby Union denies all claims to gonsidcration or support, says business is business, and is going to get every shilling it can for the use of the grounds. My statement is made not for the purpose of bringing pressure to bear on the A. and P. Association, but to point out to footballers that ns a business proposition it was in their Interests to procure other grounds. However, I would not like the A. and P. Association to mislead itself or the general, public on the question of the revenue it derives from football. To publish a statement of tho revenue for ten years without pointing out that for about six years no football was played on account of the war is unworthy of such a body as the A. and P, Association. The revenue for the past season for the use of the ground on about twenty Saturdays was £207, and say £SOO from the gate at tho matches, Wanganui v. To Aute College and High School v. Scots’ College, played with the consent of the Rugby Union. As far I am aware, the Manawatu A. and P. Association is the only A. and PAssociation in Now Zealand who receives a permit to play football matches and thut permit has only been granted owing to the fact that tho Rugby Union has been using tho A. and T. ground. If the Rugby Union had not been using the A. and P. ground that body would not have received permission to play those matches, so that in order to arrive at the revenue the A. and P. Association derives from football the sum of about £SOO a year must bo added to the actual percentage paid by the Rugby Union. That the A. and P. Association has not drawn more than this from the Rugby Union has not been the fault of the Association. The desire to do so was manifest. Before the “Springboks” match the Union received a letter from the Association intimating that the charge for the use of the ground would be 25 per cent, of the gross takings at gate and stand. A deputation was obliged to wait on the Association and point out good reasons why the 25 per cent, could not be paid before the demand was withdrawn. This deputation was informed that the 10 per cent, allotment applied only to' local games, and that the Association was entitled to 25 per cent, on any match in which a team from outside th’e district was engaged. The deputation denied this right and the Association decided t 6 take legal opinion on the question. It was not the 10 per cent, the Rugby Union objected to, but the claim to 25 per cent, when the A. and P. Association must have realised that 25 per cent, would amount to £250 or thereabouts for the use of the ground for an afternoon. Add to this the claim for 25 per cent, for all representative and college matches and to the exorbitant demand that was made when the last AngloWelsh team visited here and only withdrawn when arrangements were being made to transfer the match to Feilding and the reason why some members of the Rugby Union consldex> there Is a bleeding process will not be far to seek. CONDITION OF THE GROUNDS, “It must also be remembered that tliis is not the case of a ground kept especially for football, but It would have to be maintained by the A. and P. Association even if no football were played on it. It would also be unfair to allow the A. and P. Association to labonf under the impression that this is ona of the finest football grounds in the Dominion. Admittedly the stand accommodation is good, but the playing area Is in a wretched condition. 1 have no knowledge of one shilling having been spent In the last twenty years for the purpose of improving the grounds as a sports area. The grass is run put, the surface pneypn,

and the water jump a considerable oh, stncle. Last year when the Now Zea* land team played here the mudhols at the water jump had to bo Sited with bales oil straw. Although the ground Is supposed to be kept as a sportsgrour.d, two local sports bodies, the Y.M.C.A. Athletic Club and the Hockey Association, havo within the last twelve months had to turn it dewft, as being unfit for either sport, tuis is a position that surely calls for ttt» tcntlon on the part of the Association,"-