O.R.F.U. COMMITTEE

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 60

O.R.F.U. COMMITTEE

A meeting of the abovo committee wa> liskl on Mor-Jav evening; p.-r<sent--Me^srs F. H. Campbell (chairman). 11. IlarrU, .1. Kinc- A. E. Ilamcl, W. J. Wiiaon, A. Day J. Dun-can. P. J. Priest. V. G. H'.avana^h, A. Low, D. M. Munio, &.. J. Dunne, and H. F Sincock. j rOERKSPONDEKCE. Tba Secretary of the Waikouaiti Football Club wrot-p staling that frh-j Doir-ain Board was willing to give £25 towards irnprowng the ground provided that the O.R.F.U. would subsidise pound for pound. — Referred to the Finance Committee for report. J. Tornuiee. t-eoretarj of the Kaikorai I Club, forwarded a list in regard to the propo^d 's-iiironial to AL-x. 31 ' Donald, and hoi-sd the O.R.F.U. would accord its support. —lt was resolved that the list lie on the table t.s the union hid no power to expand its own funcL for purpo-es. THE GOLDFIhLDS CASK. The adjourned inquiiy in thin matter, brought forward by the president at last meeting, was held. Mr Campbell said the police roport wao there, and he presumed the player would admit the facts without undue cross-examination. B&fore the player was calkd in some discussion oocurrc-d as to wiiettaer the inquiry ' should be in committee or not. , Mr Cavanagrh eaid he thought they should ba careful not to let anything out that might detract from the good of football. 1 The Chairman said there, was at prosent a slur on the whole team. Mr Duaae said the player might only

have pleaded guilty to Save trouble, and they might be doing him an injustice. The Chairmaai said if he -was quite innocent he should have taken proper steps to clear his character, as it was a serious ' charge. It was eventually decided to hold the inquiry in open meeting. The player was then called in, and the chairman jead to him the police report upon the case. This said that the player at Naseby had been under the influence of dxink, and while in this condition was approached Try a ijjan and insulted by him. He knocked the man down and used bad language, Both individuals were summoned before the court and fined. In answer to the Chairman, the player said those were the facts so far as he knew. He would like to explain that he was exasperated very much, for the man had call-cd him a name that no man would stand. Accordingly he had' hit him, and that was how the trouble sbarted. Later on | the man came to him again ejid started nagig-ing. He held off as best he could, but at last he hit him. He might have used the larnguge complained of, but he had no recollection of doing so. He believed the man had been a source of annoyance to more than one member of the team. • The polioexna.n had told him that if he would not g«st the man away he should give him a good hiding, and afterwards he had shaken hands with him. Mr Kinig (the manager an the tour) said as it had beon thrown up at him that he had hushed the matter up he would" like* to make an explanation of his case. The facts so far as he was concerned, were that ! on the morning after the incident Mr Sutber- \ land told him tbait there had . been trouble. ; He accordingly weant in search of the police- , man, but found he had left the district, and j be was assured by a gentleman ho met that ; there was really nothing in the incident, | and that the policeman had sa^d the man | had deserved all he got. He thought nothing j itioi'e of the incident, therefore, and let it slide. The Otaigo player did not appear to be under the influence of drink at 11 o'clock that night. Mr Harris asked whether the punishment should bo from playing football for a term ' or only from travelling .with future repre- ! sfwifcative teams. - • , j Mr Wilson said he had it on good autho- ■ rity that if pressure had not been brought to bear on the police nothing would have [ come of it. j ' Mr Dey said people had come to him at Naseby and' taken the player's pa.rt. He ' know that the sympathy of the community up there was with the Dunedin player. j Mr Harris said that to wit the matter , I in order ba would move that the T)ia-yer N ba suspended till S-apetmber 30, 1911. Mr Dey seconded tho motion. Mr Duncan said he considered that too severe. Mr Dunne concurred. Mr Macdwnald said he did not think the j penalty severe enough. They were betteT j without men of this sort. ' Mr Low proposed that the player should be debarred .from representative matches for two years.- He moved accordingly. . I Mr Camama-gh* contemded that tho amendi ment would predxtbe" inconsistencies. The Chaipman said be did not think tha am«ncbnent met the case at all, as disgrace had boon brought on Otaigo football. The am-mdiment was then put and lest. | Mr Wilson moved a further amendment. that the suspension be till the end of 1910. — This was lost by one vote. The motion to suspend till the end of 1911 was then put and 'carried. Tho Chairman said that to the best of hi* abiliitv Tie had made inquiries into the , conduct of the feaim, and be- could speak | quite confidently of their conduct at | Naseby and aKo at Lawrence, a.part from j Lhis incident. He thought it due to the , team that he should state this.