RUGBY UNION PRESIDENT REPLIES TO MAYOR.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 49, 4 July 1929, Page 5

RUGBY UNION PRESIDENT REPLIES TO MAYOR.

TO THE EDITOR Sir.—lt is regretable that any person, much less the Mayor* oi : a town, should tajko, action, without full enquiry, against any movement that has for' its objective the welfare of those who had suffered and are still suffering as the result of a dire disaster. In the . first place for the information of Mr. McMillan ajad the public 'generally, let me say that the jTatranaki Rugby Union has already made a direct contribution to the Earthquake Fund through the Mayor of New Plymouth. The present proposal of the Union is that half of the gross proceeds of the Star-Stratford match will be given to the Fund without deduction of any sort or kind. The charge for the match is to be 2s for gentlemen and Is for ladies. If the Union gave the other half away it would be accused and rightly so, of being generous with something that did not belong to it. Out of all club matches clubs participate in the receipts to the extent of 27|- per cent, each, 15 per cent, has to be paid, in the case 9f the Stratford pmnain, and 10 per cent is allocated to the injured footballers;' accident fund, ;the Union all expenses' and receiving the balance for administration. You will appreciate Mr. Editor if the Union gave the wiiole it would be giving away funds belonging to other institutions, and I understand those institutions, with the exception of the Domain Boa.rd, have made their contributions to the fund already. What I desire to impress on the public is that the proposal of the Rugby Union is not that the funds be derived from this particular match shall be a donation from the Union, but rather, that it is a channel through which many who would willingly contribute a small amount and cannot contribute a large one can help to this extent of Is or Gd each. By this means it is anticipated the fund will benefit to the extent of at least £IOO. But why Mr. McMillan's objection on this joccaision? What \the Union is doing for the earthquake fund is exactly the same as was done, on the same ground, by the same teams and the same Union, for the unemployment fund. On that occasion as a result of the effort £l-10 Is 9d was handed to Mr. McMillan to be spent in Stratford for work to be undertaken in this town to relieve unemployment. Not one word of protest was raised by His Worship then, and I ask again why now ? I Is the objection being raised because on this occasion the money is going out of the town and on the last it remained to be spent in the town? Why the protest now? I regrei.t and resent) the Mayor's suggestion that the footballers are being used in an unworthy manner and they will no doubt resent it also. Such a suggestion is unjust and unworthy as it Is contemptible.—l am, ietc, R. MASTERS, President T.R.U.