ANNUAL MEETING INVALID

Southland Times, Issue 23166, 6 April 1937, Page 8

ANNUAL MEETING INVALID

CANTERBURY RUGBY UNION Because of an informality, the annual meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Union held last month has been declared invalid and another annual general meeting of the union has been called for April 14. Thus there is legally at present no president of the union, no management committee, and the decisions made at the meeting last month are not binding, states The Press. The position is said to be unprecedented in the history of the union. The season is scheduled to open on Saturday, in accordance with a decision made at the meeting of the union last month; but although the new meeting will not be held until after the opening date for the season, it is not anticipated that the plans for the opening of the competitions will be altered. The decision to declare the annual meeting invalid was made after a protest had been received by the management committee of the union from the Linwood Club. The protest related to the appointment of the Albion Club’s delegates to the annual meeting. It has been decided that the Albion Club failed to conform to rule 7 of the union’s constitution, which states that delegates to the union must be elected at a general meeting of the club, and not at a meeting of the club’s executive.

The protest from the Linwood Club was received at a meeting of the management committee of the union held last week. The letter of protest stated that the club took exception to the appointment of two proxies for delegates for the Albion Club to the union’s annual meeting, and to the election of two officers to the management committee itself. The management committee had obtained a legal opinion on this protest, and it is as a result of this opinion that a new general meeting of delegates has been called and the previous meeting declared invalid. The following notice was sent to all affiliated clubs by the secretary of the Canterbury Rugby Union (Mr J. O. McGillivray):— “A request having been received from the Linwood Club that the proceedings at the annual general meeting of delegates held on March 17 be declared invalid, owing to certain irregularities, the committee has decided to comply with the request. “A special meeting of delegates, at which the whole of the business transacted at the recent annual meeting—including election of officers and committee—will require to be re-enacted together with such other business as may be necessary to comply with the constitutional requirements of the union, will be held on Wednesday, April 14 at 7.30 p.m.”