A PLAYING GROUND

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7447, 23 May 1911, Page 4

A PLAYING GROUND

E.UGBY UNION AND PETONB COUNCIL. AGREEMENT .STILL IN ABEYANCE). The proposed agreement between tho Wellington Rugby Union and the Pefcono Borough Council in regard to the lease by the union of a playing ground cam© in for further consideration at last night's meeting of the council. Tho union wrote stating that the position regarding tho lease was not satisfactory. Some montlis ago, the letter stated, it was agreed that a lease should bo entered into and then, after a considerable lapse of time tho union procured, on the application of the borough's solicitor, an engrossed copy .of tho clauses which had not been submitted to it. in the amendments made to the lease by the union no departure wua made from the terms of tne agreement entered into. Certain alterations in* wording were suggested and after a lapse oi another month, the union was suit without any finality. SOLICITORS VIEWS. The borough solicitor .(Mr Kirk) reported that the first long clause drafted in the agreement in place of clause 4 prepared by him contained a proposal quiet foreign Ix> the original terms agreed upon, and would involve the council Losing a good senior match if its grounds were unfit for play wiien other grounds of the union were fit for play. He had, informed Mr Perry (of the Rugby Union) that, he could not advise the council to agree to the union's new proposal. The two other proposals made by the union, were not very important, the first being that free admission should bo granted to players of tho union as well as officials. This was obvious!)’- intended to be covered by the agreement and should have been in the union's original proposals. The union also asked that the charges for admission to the grounds bo mutually agreed upon between the union and the council, instead of being fixed by tho council. This proposal did not seem to him to be and might be conceded, ea both parties were ■ equally interested in fixing such .charges > os would return the best gate. Ho advised tho council to inform tho union that beyond the two amendments he had recommended. no further concession can bo lOiitertained. ’ - . , , , Mr Kirk, in amplifying his, , report* •stated that in the original agreement the Petono Borough Council was to have on© senior match atyPetone every Saturday and Pet-one beams playing elsewhere m certain matches in tho first round would play at Petono in the second round. The union desired, if the Petone Council notified it that the ground was unfit for play, that tho match set down, fur th© ground be played elsewhere and be regarded, for the purposes of the agreement, as having been played at Petone. REPORT ADOPTED. The Mayor (Mr J. W. Mcßwan) said that he had hoped tho matter would bo smoothed over and that finality would be W Councillor lA&fc said ho hoped tho matter would bo fixed np right away. .If much more time was occupied the eomor matches would I>o concluded before an ■agreement was -arrived at. It was decided, after a short aiecua f’Vu, that the solicitor’s report bo adopted.