LEAGUE FOOTBALL TOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15900, 24 April 1915, Page 8

LEAGUE FOOTBALL TOUR.

NEW ZEALAND CENSURED. AN . UNTIMELY SCHEME. Sydney, April 23. The Rugby League, after considering the New Zealand body's request to postpone the proposed tour to a later date, has decided that, in view of the fact that the season's arrangements are already complete, to ask the New Zealand Association to adhere to the itinerary drawn up for June. The league does not anticipate a decision that will cause the [ abandonment of the visit of the New Zealand team.

The Daily Telegraph comments on the matter as follows: " The excuse of the president of the New Zealand League for sending a team to Australia shows the difficulty he has to discover any justification for a scheme that is quite contrary to the spirit which has dominated the other sporting bodies of New South Wales. After the splendid manner in which the sportsmen have responded and all recruits have sacrificed their sporting engagements in order to drill, there is no justification for flaunting in their faces a challenge to send a team here. Apparently if they come they will not be thoroughly representative. This will afford a strong reason for the public not to attend the matches. Because the war is on it is no reason for assuming an attitude of gloom and depression, but the policy of the foremost sporting bodies has been to recognise that the war has imposed on the young men a duty to serve at the front or to train for the defence of Australia. The promoters ought to take the hint and drop the tour"