SPRINGBOKS’ TOUR

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10965, 29 July 1921, Page 6

SPRINGBOKS’ TOUR

PLANS FOR TEST MATCHES SPECIAL TRAINS FROM COUNTRY , DISTRICTS. QUESTION OF FREE PASSES. At the weekly meeting of the New Zealand Rugby "Union last night, several matters in. regard to the Spi :ngboks’ tour were discussed. The chairman (Dir G. W. Slade) presided. A letter was* read from the Wellington Journalists’ Union asking that adequate accommodation be provided lor Press reporters at the big fixtures. Mr S. S. Dean said tho union owed a great deal to the Press for what it had don© for the game, and th© union should welcome the offer to co-operate with it. He moved that a. sub-eom-mittco, consisting of tho chairman and the mover, confer with the Press delegation, with a view to making adequate accommodation, for them. —The resolution was adopted.

SPECIAL TRAINS. ' Mr Dean informed the meeting that a special train, for tho first test match, would leave Christchurch on Friday night, th© evening before, and would return after ll l c match, arriving at Christchurch on Sunday morning. Requests were received from the Wairarapa, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, and Hawke’s Bay unions, for special trains to Wellington for the third test match. Mr Dean was deputed to arrange the matter with the General Manager; for Railways. 1 The Wanganui union wrote, saying that arrangements were being made for a special train to Wellington, on the occasion of the third test match; also asking if a block of reserved seat tickets could bo allotted to Wanganui. COUNTRY MATCHES. The Marlborough union wrote, asking if or a match with tho Springboks. It was proposed to pay any profits from the game to tho Marlborough Progress Cdmmittco. Tho chairman: Wo will object to that; any profits should go to the game. It was decided to forward the letter to the South African team for consideration. An application by the Hawke’s Bay union, that special stands be erected by tho New Zealand union foir the match against the Springboks at Napier, was refused. Members pointed out that this step had been taken in tho past, hut was ‘‘a losing proposition.” Hie Hawke’s Bay body pointed out that it was intended to charge 5s to all part® of the ground, and that a special train w.quld.run from Dannevrrke.

The King Country <Taumarunui) ■wrote, accepting the invitation of the union to play a curtain-raiser to the third test match, against Wellington B team. REFEREES. The appointment of referees was notified as under:—Springboks v. South Canterbury, J. F. Peake (Christchurch) , v. Southland, R. McKenzie (Dunedin); v. Manawatu, H. J. McKenzie (Carterton ). Tho Otago Referees’ Association wrote, asking for two reserve tickets ■for each of their members at the first test match at Dunedin. Mr Dean: Give them a couple of feather-beds, also. (Laughter.) Tho New Zealand Referees’ Association protested against tho action of the union in granting them free admission to the ground, hut not to tho stand. Mr Deans Hie Auckland people want tickets for players. Will there he any room for the public after all these complimentary tickets are given out? Mr E. Wylie: We have only 1000 seats in the grandstand at our disposal. Hr T. Fletcher attended,- as a deputation from the New Zealand Referees’ Association, and stated tho case for •that body, and asked that a reduction be granted in the price of stand tickets, if free passes could not he granted. The, committee decided to adhere to its previous decision. GENERAL. In reply to a letter from the employers of O. O. Baddeley, of Auckland, selected for the first test match, it was decided that the union could not depart from its direction that that player should he in Dunedin a week before tho match. The chairman reported that other requests of a similar nature had been refused. The South African Board of Control wrote, asking for' a refund of £504, "expenso incurred in outfitting tho Springboks’ tour.—lt was decided to defer consideration until the final set-tling-up. The Canterbury union wToto, indicating that tho entertainment expenses in connection with the Springboks’ tour would not exceed £SO. (Hear, hear.) On the question of injured players, it was decided to deal with each case on its merits.

A request for 120 free passes for Auckland senior players was refused. An early curtain-raiser, for tho' Toecasion of tho third test match, was decided upon, tho gjamo to bo between two teams of the Wellington Primary Schools’ Rugby Union.