General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 100, 18 May 1907, Page 3

General Gossip.

-A brothers* Mr Johnstone, of the '-'■All- Blocks," is playing m Kaika-, rai's (Durjedin) souior combination, an«i he is' expeteted to emulate the prowess of 'brother Bill. "According *o a punedin scribe, Ota,go Univeiraity.. 'whioh-'clai-ms m its '.'back division oio ' fe\ve : r than six player? who Ivavo won their rep. cap, sfocuM' retain the.prexaiers'hip this seat Vp Palonerston North way the Rugby officials are gokiig m for the erection oi «, large teiograph board m the ov-al, upon . which will be displayed ■the score m .big matches so ifc®\ spectators can see ata glance now the gsapass are 'progi^sing/ an official to be ap-pointed to watch both grounds and to forward the spores as soon asi oW/aioieid. What price Brown-Mcliktyre and Co. utilising tha-t telegraph; Board at the Athletic Park for a similar purpose 7 The Foxton su-b-TJraon has affiliated with M-aoiawatu ajrain and brings with it fWe senior and three jMifior teams. 'An eHort is fMvg made to, form a subHDnion m Cheltenham aod affilia-te with Manawatu..

of the Canterbury Times, makes it plain to -lias readers that he was m attendance at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and -that 'being so It is an easy task for this scribe tp spot his identity. This chunk of cheek scoots away to. Ciiris-tchurch, aoid. .then, m referriai'g to the business tfansactad at the meeting, has the audacity to ask how m ; the worM delegates allowed the proposal to set up an appeal board slip through ? it being, he says, practically a motion of no^confi'dence m the Management Committee. The southern writer was one of the crowd who set up a "dingo" howl \of approval what time Chairman Oamphell was doing his level best to stifle freedom of speech, at the meeting, and yet he hadn't the ''spunk" to get up on his props and declare what lie now says m his paper about the proposal m qjues't'ion. The joke of the whole thing is that this courageous superior cuss has the assurance to state m another part of his columns that after several years' experience of these meetings he is .convinced that a large proportion of the delegates address the meeting for the sole purpose of hearing themselves speak. After a good fewiyeans' experience, too, of these meetings, the writer is constrained to say that the Canterbury Rug-by Union miftiht just as well scad up tihe ''jbioots" from Warner's, to look after their interests as tJiis plucky oovev who #oes behind the hedge before letting "fly" with his rotten fizzJle. Hypocritical, croaking hum'fcfU'gs of this type are a curse tp every sport-loving-community. Dozens of them are to be found m Wellington. On dit' that Wellington's tireless collector of Rugby refuse, Jack Murray, is coming out with an edition of m Rugby . Football Councils?' and another, • "Rugby Gossip, the Way to retell it." Messrs D. McKay; (Gxeymouth) and M. Scanl'on (Wes.tport), who have been on a pleasure jaunt to the country since the termination of the New Zealand Rugiby Union annual meeting, returned to their respective hom.es on Saturday. Both these Rugby enthusiasts enjoyed their visit to the Capital City. They say that:<the triumphal marches of the Gaeserian cowqiU'erors of old through the Roman Capitol was a poor circumstance compared to the •style of Neil Gultea/ith, Edgar Wylie, Alec Laurenson "and Co. when driving ifli'rough the main streets to the Athletic Bark on Saturday week. Solomon arrayed m all -his glory was -not like one of (thesis. The lordly pat-■i-ronising. Air of, the shipping clerk on * entering :j>he ■e»ic.lps.u_rg was au object

lesson m chest expansion. However, the £»°d. old New ' Zealand Rugby. Union, . with its <b>ig surplus of brass, could well afford to foot the bill for cafes, dinner parties, etc, so why not put on "gut" wheu it. doesn't cost y,ou a farthing for the luxury. Players rolled up to Newtown Park on Saturday to find out ' that they were unable to play on the ground. They complain that they should have been notified by the Union according to the usyal Custom, and thus saved the annoying disapppintment. I certainly see no reason why club secretaries should not. be informed of- such postponements on Saturday morning.

After Saturday's exhibition at the Park) there should foe no further cause for complaint from townspeople on the score of partiality shown by suburban spectators w-henever a match is m progress' at Petone m which the. local team is interested. It would; bj& absolutely 'impossible for the deepest-dYed Petone barrackers to be more • ' 'onereyed' '.. than was the biggest section of the crowd a<t the Park on Saturday.. About ten minutes -before the close of the Old Boys v. Ponete game Sam Abrim had) the lad luck to put lids shoulder out. Sam thought at firs fc that the limb" was broken, but fortunately . it v.as not as tad (as tint. ■ Anyhow,. the/Ponelse forward will have to remain .on the disabled list for a few weeks, which is hard '■mozale" forvths club, and a darned sight worse for him.

The- oldv saying, that "too many cooks spoil the.- broth." wo s exemplified m striking fashion m the dismile bstwesn the Rup^y. Union ar.'d the Pet one Borough Council. Chairman Brown would have, appeared to have got m his work too early, and by not waiting to. see what intimation his colleague. Harry Mclntvrc had conveyed to the Council has Riven the " latter body, much to coek-a-doodle-doo ,oser.. It is a nasty jar for the \TJnioh .whichever way one looks at it', ■.•■and it is to be hoped that Chairman Brown will, for his own .salve as well ' as for the body he lu-vresscitts, be more careful In future before.; he starts, out on a similar (mission. Stan made the ameiide when he discovered his niistafce; but unfortunately the mischief had .-been made' long l:ef ore tint event was 'chronicled! Somehow ' ' rsprefcentati-ves of the civic bodies have', an unfortunate knack of keeping ihiso little things uppermost m their minds, more particularly when it comes to 'a Question of treating for' grounds " for toeball purposes. ThevPetone Council may be depended iipon to utilise its latest victory for mare sweeping. advantages i^ the- future. 1 . I The. CounciL's crowing is the Ru&by Unipn's, funeral m, the -present instance. T.t '.is vunifortumi/e, biit it is a.lsb too true. A popular tip liow-a-days lor the managership' .< of the New Zealand team, to visit Australia, m July is Ed/rar Wylic. Likely members of the combination, 'aie fervently pray m? that "Gaily" won't get the billet. There was too much .joy when, the j f All Blacks invaded the . Cornstalks' land prior to the Hlqme trip "Tbuchi line's" , reference, however,' ought to carry "Gajly" 'through all right. ■ Owin# to' ; pressuro on pur foottall spa.cc this week, I am.' uriabl? to give attention t6 those two" cr three Qolumns of M'slobkery" •■^Hca. ''Tnuchiinie h.as ctevQted" to 1(hB pe^sone.l of the recenil^lscfed mana^emflßt committee of. .tJiG,N.a.R,U,. ?rjie h>(«rU : «;r, however, "will engage lay attention m a future, issue..

A report- is . current •; that . certain members of the N.Z.R.U. have made up their mixids. to support tlte claims of a former secretary for the paid office *or which applications are now beins invited.. It will be nothing less' than a scandal if this personage is pitchforked into the billet.- I can hardly tel&ove that the executive wouM be guilty of such action. There cannot te much objection to the nominees of I>be. Wcliinpjton Rugby Union fi?r The North Island team, though I .don't suppose more than six at the very outside will catch the selector's eye. Mitchinson, Wallace, and Roberts .are almost certainties, though , a clinking Rood half would, on present displace Freddy. The W<?Uinf?tpn selectors are wedded to Wright as lockmari, but my vote would be cast for Rush, who is just as good as, -'.Bumper" m that position, and is a more expert player m. other departments of the forward game. Tom Cross should go m flying. He is about the test allround man-; we have .[.raying- m- the "fom'O'Uar'd this season. Jack Spencer is wortli his place if he would only t o il hafrder, and "Rangi" Wilson, jwho plays a stone above his weight, is good enough, m my opinion, " for any Maoriland comibi nation. "Rangi" is a clever, heady player, and shows un both m the solid and loose. Byron has a good show, and m the open there are few better than the Petbr.e man knocking about. As for the full-back, George Spencer has been skaom* so well m this sei-' so'i's matches to date that Dufty (A ueklamN and Hartfreaves (Talran*\H) will have, to .he something quite "spicy 1 \to get the preference over the Melrose man.