General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 174, 17 October 1908, Page 3

General Gossip.

The boodle brigade of the New Zealand Rugby Union is taking its chastisement with a bad grace. Dixon and Co. were given a good chance of redeeming their reputation for incapability when sugg v stions came along from affiliated unions for improving the Rugby game, '.jut they made a howling mess of. tilings, and 'the Unions took matters into their v owo hands by getting delegates together m Wellington and emphasising m a certain degree the necessity for reform. The conclave indicated that it was tired of Ike old order of things and. desired ; a change. The bump ought to convince some of the Union's Mismanagement' Committee that m the eyes of outsiders there has been far too much of the great "we , are" about it, and. the mandate issued last week will probably reduce the swelling materially. As far as Rugby is concerned-, five, at least, of the present executive are back numbers, but it . is hard for them to realise that. fact. In Ike administration' of the winter sport they have been making asses of themselves, and often particularly objectionable specimens of the long-eared quadnaed too. Wiiat "Fluter" Mason, of the Oantertjiiry Rugby Union, lacks m common sense when dealing with Rugby problems is more than counteracted by ripise T/liich he hurls forth on \.tfde slightest provocation, m fact,, there is always the danger that he may riot wait for the provocation and then what lingering agonies await his hearers. His rhetorical fireworks display at the New Zealand Rugby Union meeting last week still give him pride of place as the chiampion Rugby wind-bag cl tlie Dominion^ George Dixon's courageous band of muddlers solemnly arrived* at the decision, that should delegates at the. special meeting last week accept the proposal ~to recompense players for broken time they would treat it as a vote of rio-confidence and resign. The awful calamity that would befall the "Rug" y game were this step carried into effect is too horrible to contemplate. But George amd his colleagues knew they were on safe ground, and that it was the Union's 12.000 quid to a Salvarmy twopenny feed that the proposal \ tadn't Buckley's ' chunce of being .sUccesrful. Their miserable exhibition of hypocrisy is made all the more prominent by the fact that dekgatzs carried proposals for improving tte game which they, Dixon and Co., 'had contemptuously heaved aside a few weeks previously with greater 1 Verity than the ordinary mortal ' would a plague-stricken rat. If a further example were needed of tine contempt affiliated bodies have for the honesty, integrity, and ability of the parent institution it is that m the event of a conference of^ delegates of unions m Australia being held, two of the three delegates from the Dominion shall come from each Island. Could testimony of the shortcomings and maladministration of the New Zealand Rugby Execu-. tive possi'oly go further. But Gaily, Wylie, and Co. are' content to shallow dose after dose of the most nauseous medicine obtainable rather "than lose the good things m the shape of bonuses and junkettings at the expense of the Union that have come their way during the past few years. They are 'quite capable of making any unscrupulous sacrifice m vorder to preserve their position as a bip'dy' which . ;has been "sponged" as no TigitffifeSr athletic^ organisation has m this c^aity ; otJ&c^ountry. - ' T. Billy Wallace nas a panacea for the evils of; professional football. • At the Poneke -smbke-oh, Billy suggested that the Rugby Union should make a donation of,, say, £20 to £25, to each club .for gymwasium purposes, as the subs ol members were barely sufficient for the season's working expenses. "Then." said Billy, "we wouldn't hear so much about professional football." I agree with Wallace, the modest, that clubs should be assisted m this, direction, ' but the trouble is that the Wellington Rusby Union is seldom m a financial position to supply the needful. 'Had it not been for that unfortunate Plunderland spec, - the Union 'might possibly have come to the assistance of those clubs who are now, battling hard to secure a gym for themselves. I differ, however, from Wallace m his opinion that professionalism will be combatted by tlie syshrni of uymnastic grants. And surely the onii-time idol of Wellington's football patrons is no? silly enough to believe for a moment that it will. ..•■...:•

What useless and unenlighfrening; discussions on the laws of the game were m evidence at the N.Z.R.U. meeting last Week. ' Could .footballers have seen Hutchinson, Mason and others wrestling with Rugby problems about which they were as conversant as Sam Ballance . is with gbll or lawn tennis, vaudeville furineries would have troubled them no Vnore.

Wrote the' secretary of the New Plymouth Recreation Sports Ground Committee to the Northern Union code organisers m that district, recently :— '"I might inform you that you are under a misapprehension m thinking that the New Zealand Rugby Uoion can say who shall use the ground, as this is entirely a matter for my committee who are responsible for the rent, interest, and upkeep, and must therefore look to what is best m the interest of the Ground." What an affront has been placed on the dignity of that superior person, "Gaily," not to mention his sheep-liko colleague, Wallburton, who, by-the-way, is said to nave taken much to heart the criticism' of this paper on the brain power of a touch judge. : The Rugby League m Sydney is working quietly with a view to having things m order ; for next season, yhen, among other matters, an English team is ex-, pectcd to come out. Tne Kedfcrn Oval lias been leased to the N.S.W. Rugby League for three season'!?. The alterations and improvements will cost, something like £550, and the/capacity of the ground is estimated to bo about 25.000 i people. The ground will be a valuable acquisition , to the League. Mot at '..all unlikelr ,that toeballers will fiaVfi 'an .-opportunity^ at the tail-end of next season of witnessing Northern Union rulr^g m the ,Uonnain.i as played by an ICagiish team. . - .; ■Th* result of the Wallabies' last two matches it> inspiring tlicir supporters wit.li greater confidence when 1 the tests happen along. The Wallabies will miss Hu'rgo. who wa« horned, or something, by oD«"r.J the Devons and had his leg frac- | lt,reJ. May he soon he hopping with his brother Wallabies again,

An interesting feature of last week's meeting of N.Z.R.U. delegates was the attjtude taken up by them when dividing on the various proposals submitted for their consideration. For instance, Canterbury, Taranaki, Wellington (with one exception), Wanganui, Southland, and some of the smaller Unions, cast a block vote, proving thereby that they had come to the meeting with^ their minds already made up: As Mason, the gasometer of the Canterbury delegation, put it, "I am instructed by my Union to vote as follows," one can readily imagine under the circumstances all arguments, however persuasive or logical, were entirely lost on this string of dummies.

The promoters of the proposed Auckland Football League have stated that it is not the intention to pay players for home matches. Should any profits accrue from last Saturday's match it will be banked to form the nucleus of a ground ljund.; It will be the policy of the League to provide players with uniforms, free brake trips to grounds, and payment for loss of wages wheri 4r "away' from Auckland on tour. This year's operations have not been profitable, by reason sit the amount of travelling done. The viajit of the Wellington team to Auckland was obtained under a guarantee of half the gross'gatc, which amounted to about £298; After payment of ..the half sham and local expenses the club was. left with a trifle over 4SIOU. The gates on the tour south, to Wellington were poor, and that sum was swallowed up, leaving the financial affairs of the local club m an impoverished statij. The prompters of the league hope to stimulate a strong local competition next season, and have secured a ground at Epsom for play.

: At the Ponsonby District Football Club's smoke concert, W. Cunningham announced his ' retirement from the- game. Cunningham, or "Cunny," as i lie is fami : liarly called, is one of the best known players m the Dominion, 'and m his position of lock-forward it is doubtful if a player his equal— certainly none better— 'lias ever donned a jersey. The place m the scrum occupied by the retiring player, is certainly not one that gives a man much chance to shine m the open; -but "Cunny" was an exception, and liis work m the open and line out was sufficiently good to earn him representative honors. It was m 1899 that "Cunny" first represented Auckland, and, with the exception of 1903, has represented his province, continuously since then, so that he has caps for no less than nine years, and, with, the exception of A. Braund, -who holds the record of ten years' service, is one of the oldest representatives of the province. In addition, he was a member o)£ the famous All Black combination. .Unless something turns up to make him change his mind before next season, Cunningham's retirement, added to that of Gillett, will •be the severest loss Auckland has sustained for some time.

The annual smoker of the Polhill Football Club, which was held on Thursday evening last at Mawson's Rooms, Cubastreet, proved to lie a most successful function. The popularity of ; this junior club was well demonstrated by. the large number of partisans Who attended. The Club's popular president, Mr D. Murphy, who presided, presented gold • medals to the following players : Mr Max Voss's medal for the best all-round man m the third-class team to J. Carmody ; Mr Rhymes-s medal for fojest forward m thirdclass team, W. Dowman ; Mr S. Luke's medal for best all-round man m fourthclass team, "B. Andrews. \ The gathering was a most enthusiastic onei and the prospects of the. club for next season are most promising.

When the payment of players was under discussion at,., the recent N.Z.R.U. meeting, Mick Sheehan and Ourly Ohlson cited instances of players making great pecuniary sacrifices m ord;r to accompany football teams on tour. "One young fellow,, a carpenter from a country district, was £15 out of pocket," said Mick, while his colleague instanced the case of the last Auckland team which travelled south, when several of the leading players were unable to make the trip as they could not afford to lose t)heir wages, the consequence being that 'the Aucklanders were not; fully represented and encountered defeats, which with a stronger combination would probably have been converted - nto victories.

Proposals are likely to he submitted to the Wellington Rugby Union before next Sfeasoii for the establishment of a subunion to control Rugby m the district extending from Johnsonville to Waikanae. "Soccer 1 " is already 'catered for m this area and it behoves the local Union to be up and doing and assist m the development of the particular sport upder its' control, otherwise the rival game will completely bust it m public estimation. The formation ol a sub-union m this large and popular part of the Wellington district should be hailed \vitli pleasure by the union, more especially as the responsibilities of management will Le vested m other hands.

Indigestible piffle which delegates were asked to swallow at the N.Z.R.U. conclave : — Dicky Isaacs : "Why should we zV'Sx the rules? They were good enough for us m the early day^and they're good enough' now. Let us die^fSir the grand old game." "Snowy" vi Hale|i^'Let us stick to our guns and -notf-eppy- 1 the Northern; Union. If we've got :'to die let us go down with our colord nailed to -the mast."'; ''^Q^^ r *MEs^?jbhe bleating o^'fins pSfr strikes one as irresistibly coniijjal^v;. ;If ! 'ever it came to v' "TsushfmaU, debacle you can bet your bottom dollar that Dick and Snowy would like sensible men save their own skins by scuttling from the sinking ship with tffe speed of greased lightning. The wiiereabouts of the colors wouldn't trouble either a little bit. It would be immaterial whether they v.ere nailed topmast high or dumped m the bullion chest.

Poneke Club's smoker last week was a highly satisfactory one, the attendance being a record one for cluh functions of this kind ; m fact Sscret^ry Ma^s and Treasurer Mitchell and.': their colleagues were hard put to it to fiitd room for late coiners. The cMrpy little President of the club (Dr. Newman), who "has occupied that position for 26 years.^ and Andy Wiren remincscenced m their happiest vein, while Billies Hood and Wallace, Stem. Brown, '.'Date" Servers, ex-cyclist record-bre~ker Thompson, Secretary Talbot of the Rugby Union, Captain Mitchinkoh and oth«rs speeched briefly and eloquently on various Rugby topics. Song and story made agreeable interludes. The reprehensible exhibition of a few hoodlums whose senses were dulled under the influence of a beer or two did not add to the pleasure of the merry-making. . After Friday week's experience the management of the club might do worse than declare "beer off" at air future social gatherings, and the same, suggestion' might carry weight with our Polhill Olub friends. .

Rugby joke. Albion P. 0., winners of Canterbury championship, ,at the recent social of Canterbury ' Rugby Union, ostentatiously , presented' to Ohristchurch Clu'o representatives an enormous wooden spoon m commemoration of the fact that Christchurch had 'finished at the bottom m the contests for tiro senior banner. The insulted club's delegate received the trophy with composure, an,d reminded the A fbitfns that the spoon might be returned to them with contumely at the end ol next season. By the way, Christchurch is the club ' of the fast ana furious Fryer.