MAORI FOOTBALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22909, 11 December 1937, Page 18

MAORI FOOTBALL

SYSTEM OF CONTROL

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT NEED FOR A CLOSER LINK [BV TELEGRAPH —MESS ASSOCIATION] WELLING TON, Friday Suggestions for the better control of Rugby football among Maoris were made by delegates of the Maori districts who waited on the Council of the New Zealand Rugby Union by invitation to-day The deputation consisted of Messrs. W. T. Parata.A. Takarangi, Kingi Taliiwi, If. Loaf, Eru Po and J. Palmer. Mr. Taliiwi explained that the Maori Advisory Board had been set up in 1926 owing to some trouble having developed among the Maoris over the selection of the Maori team which toured Great Britain and France in J92G. -The Board consisted of the leaders of the Maori people. The board had divided the Dominion into four Rugby districts, three in the North Island and one. for the South island. It had no constitution as far as election was concerned. Trouble began in 193.'? when certain persons started to question the constitution of the- board; 'The board had always endeavoured to have Maori football controlled by the Rugby Lions in each district, but during the past, two years there had been a change in the attitude of the Maori people. Mr. Parata said that most of the dissatisfaction had been caused by the belief that the control of Maori lootball had drifted into one or two hands. He thought the board should be composed of two delegates elected from each of the four Maori Rugby districts.

Mr. S. S. Dean, chairman of the council, said that if the Maoris came to the union with concrete proposals the union would be only too ready to help them. Dr. G. J. Adams (Wanganui) considered there should be a much closer link between the New Zeal And Rugl\v Union and those controlling Maori football. He would like to see the Maori Rugby Advisory Board coinprised of a .representative from each of the four Maori districts, with three European members, one member of .Parliament and one member of the Council of the New Zealand Kugby Union. Mr. Dean outlined what the union had attempted to do to help Maori football in the past

The Maori delegates withdrew for a conference and later submitted proposals for the reconstruction of tho Maori Advisory Board,—which were adopted by the council.