DOGS IN THE MANGER.

NZ Truth, Issue 160, 11 July 1908, Page 4

DOGS IN THE MANGER.

THE CITY COUNCIL'S CURIOUS ATTITUDE.

Why Fish of One and Flesh of Another?

/ Wh* Favor the N.Z.R.U.?

For some reason which "Truth" does not pretend, to know, the Wellington City Council appears •to have a determined set on any winter sport other than that controlled by that crooked concern, the New Zealand Rugby Union, and the people are asking the why and the wherefore of this attitude of the city fathers. The daily press has long.' bolstered up the Rugby mismanagement committee, and whilst it has) strenuously and consistently, m season 'and out of season, condemned professional Rugby players^ it has adopted quite a different attitude m regard to the professional nian.nce.iieiit committee and ' its profession il boncsreceivine treasurer Neil Galbraitn, whose gentlemanly qualifications were referred to jn these columns last week. '[ In the latter case, the daily Dress has been "like as a lamb dumb before its shearer, so opened they not their nkmths." Th 3 reason for this silence on the n.-.-t «'/f the daily press is irenerallv considered TO BE THE USUAL ONE which rules, all' the columns , of the icsDeoitable journals, viz., "not desk ibje to' offend advertisers or those who control advts." Is it that 'm addition I to parcelling out the advts. ol ihe N.I. -R.U., the treasurer, he of tlie orass face, also controls the advertising of a certain shi«"ing company, thereby inducing the daily press to toady to him and the chairman of . the • mismanagement committee lest the« should be deprived of tae allimportant advts. The probability, .is that were there a taut understanding upon the part of , me three Wellington it: would ouickly bring these "Jacks m office" totheir knees. But we dieress. Some little time ago the Wellington Rugby Un- ■ ion obtained permission, from the City Corporation to play "a match against the Wans a nui R.U. on the Newtown .Park, and; m addition, were, pranted permission to make a collection from all entering the ground. This permission the Wellington R.U. endeavored to construe into a mandate authorising them to levT a charge of, one ■', shilling per head on ,ever T ' person enterine the Park on tat day. and they not only advertised c charge of admission m the Dress, hut also on the posters, and it was not until attention was called to „, ' THIS "WANTON PIRACY" . by "Truth" that the Council made it known there was no right : to charge granted. ' Notwithstanding ■ this. the WeliiiiAton Rugby Union oißcials stationed men at the gates and sold tickets, and many of the public were practically coerced into paying, one shilling to enter their own property. But when the Wellington Football Association, who,! by. the connivance of the City Council, have been ousted from the Athletic Park, applied to the Council for permissioii to make a collection from spectators, witnessing their, match, at the Basin Reserve they were not even treated civilly j. ,but\ were unceremoniously told that ihey ought to be thankful to receive permission to play on i the Reserve. What consummate cheek ; : to .be told they 'ought, to. 'fie thankful to -play on their own property. The Association authorities . did : not ■ intsud . to coerce' persons ; entering the Reserve, but made it plain that they merely sought permission to go round the spectators lining the ropes with a collection-<box, asking for yolun-r tary contributions. ■;'. But no, this permission was .refused ;' the city fathers de- i cjded to back up the N.Z.R.U. m its attitude of dictating . to the Wellington, public what sport it should patronise on j Saturdays during' the winter ; months. J "Truth" care.s not yhat sport is played —there is room for all classes o! sportbut the action of .the Council CALLS FOR THE STRONGEST ■ \ CONDEMNATION from ike ratepayers, and Councillor Fisher deserves well of the* municipal electors for raising his voice on behalf of kindred sports. , Why does the Council flaunt the ratepayers on wet Saturdays ' by decreeing that Soccer and Australian footballers and La Crosse .players shall not use the .Basin Reserve. The games played, by these various organisations do not cut up the ground like Rugby scrummages do, and, indeed, the pnly wear which takes place at all is on the edge of the ground at the goal posts, and this would mno way injure the : turf for cricket purposes. On some of the finest county cricket grounds m the Old Country, football is played all the winter and i the turf benefits thereby. But, assuming that . the footballers would injure tho turf, this is not; a justifiable reason for deprivin"- the youths of Wellington of their just rights m playing on, the reserve for a period 'of six or seven months merely to save the ground for another class of sport m the other six months. The fact is that there aremore citizens ' INTERESTED IN THE WINTER GAMES •.-■-■ than m the summer game, and the Council by its policy of bolstering up Rugby at the expense of other games is knocking up against a question winch will talk big at election time, and m flaunt^ ing* a section of the citizens m such an unwarranted manner,' is guilty of the grossest abuse of its prerogatives. Rugby may be the game of the hour, but the supporters of other games, who contribute their fair quota to the upkeep of the municipality are also entitled y to" fair and equable treatment The British'; public is the most , conservative ' ! .in ; ;tjiie;; world, and the fact that it- has thrown over the Rugby game m favor of "another, is evidence of the superiority ■■.."■of the new game from the general public point of view, and this is a matter the city fathers would do well to bear m mind; as the public will demand its just rights, and if one set of city fathers refuse to grant those rights then the public will elect a new lot, who are not hide-bound CQnservatiye.s.