THE PRO.-BLACKS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11251, 16 April 1908, Page 2

THE PRO.-BLACKS.

BALANCE SHEET OF TOUR. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. Among the passengers from Sydney by the Moeraki this morning was Mr H. J. Palmer, manager of the New Zealand Professional Football team, which lately toured the north of England. Mr Palmer left the team in Australia, where they have a number of matches to play, and has come to New Zealand for a brief business visit, his intention being to return to Sydney next week. It was pointed out to Mr Palmer by a Post reporter that a balance sheet, forwarded from London, was published purposely to show a. profit on. the tour of £6279. According to Mr Palmer, the figures in a number of cases are underestimated, as the men each received more than the amount, £216, therein stated. He must, he added, ask to be excused from giving information on the subject in the absence of direct authority from the committee of management, which had not authorised any official publication of the figures. Mr Palmer further added that he and the members of the team were all in good health. Smith had thrown in his lot with the Oldham Club. He did not receive a regular salary, but was paid so much a i match. McGregor, formerly of Petone, had gone into partnership with a member of the Gloucester cricket team in the athletic outfitting line. Gleeson is visiting friends in Ireland.

A London correspondent, writing on March 6, states: — It" was not intended that the balance-sheet of the New Zealanders recent football . tour should become public property, but it has nevertheless found its way into print, and its details make -interesting reading. Here are are figures, as given : — Receipts. — : Gate Receipts : Sydney £427 lis Id, Ceylon £50, England and Wales £8838 2s 4d, Acrobat £4 ; fines from members £32, interest on unpaid contributions to capital account £li4; bank interest;' less charges £27 16s 10(1; total, £9493 10s 3d. Expenses : Ocean, travelling, £1125 4s 7d. railway travelling £429 3s, hotel expenses £1371 14s, gratuities £63 9s 3d, uniform gears, etc. £64 2s Id, medi. cal attendance £74 7s Id, organising expenses £40, cables, postages, etc., £36 4s 3d, sundry -payment's £5 17s 6d, auditors' fees £4 4s, weekly allowance to members (22 weeks at £29 pe r week) £638, divisible profit £5641 4s 6d ; total £9493 10s 3d. It was arranged that during the- tour the members should draw- £1 per week for expenses. That for '22 weeks amounted to £638. Afterward there was £5641 left for division. The actual profit on the tour, therefore, up to the time of leaving England was £6279. This means that each member of the touring party received £194, which, with the £22 already drawn, made his share into £216.. The "interest" on unpaid contributions to capital account is explained by . the fact that tlie^i itfhole of the 29 who constituted the' party were supposed to contribute £50 each toward , the capital account, those who were short of that amount were charged interest on the difference. Commenting on the subject, "Old Ebor," of the Yorkshire Post, observed : "I fancy this is the last balance sheet of the kind we shall see. Any future tour, either of New Zealanders or Australians, ought, certainly to be under the control of a properly constituted authority."