THE RUGBY UNION

Southland Times, Issue 21659, 22 March 1932, Page 8

THE RUGBY UNION

REPRESENTATION OF REFEREES. IMPORTANCE STRESSED. The importance of. the continued representation on the Management Committee of the Rugby Union of the Southland Rugby Referees’ Association was stressed at the annual meeting of the latter body last evening, when opposition was expressed to any proposal which would tend towards the abolition of this representation. The matter was brought up by Mr H. R. Willcox, who said that at the annual meeting of the Southland Rugby Union to-morrow evening, a remit would be brought forward proposing an alteration of the constitution to provide that only delegates from bona fide clubs be represented on the union’s Management Committee. If this should be carried it would mean that the Southland Amateur Sports Trust, the Southland Rugby Referees’ Association and the Southland Primary School Sports Association would lose their representation. It would be a sad blow if this came to pass, remarked Mr Willcox, who went on to say that as far as he was aware practically every other union in New Zealand had the referees represented upon it. “It would be calamitous if we were taken off,” said the president (Mr D. F. Leckie), who stressed the value of the Referees’ Association to the parent body. Mr E. Kelly expressed agreement with Mr Willcox, and said the association should oppose the remit, which was far too drastic. Mr J. L. Oughton, the association’s delegate to the Rugby Union, said he did not ’think the idea of the remit was to exclude the Referees' Association. On learning, however, that from an opinion expressed publicly such was the intention, Mr Oughton assured the meeting that he would emphatically oppose the proposal.