LEAGUE RUGBY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 45, 30 March 1914, Page 3

LEAGUE RUGBY.

CANTERBURY CENTRE'S ANNUAL MEETING.

PROGRESS OF THE GAME.

"You have not only established yourselves as a centre in Canterbury," said Dr H. T. Thacker at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Football League on Saturday evening. "You have "also given evidence that some of the finest material in Australasia is in your midst. That was shown by the play of your re-' presentatives—W. Mitchell, A. E. Shadbolt, J. Auld, and C. J. Pearce—in the New Zealand teams last season.

When he made these remarks, Dr Thacker, as president of the league, was moving the adoption of the executive's report and balance sheet, which have already been summarised in THE SUN. Continuing, Dr Thacker preferred to the fact that there was not a drawn game in the league's first grade competition last season. This, he said, showed that the game was unique, in that there were no undecided issues in it. One, side must be better than the other, although they were evenly matched at times, as the games played on the showgrounds last year proved. BOGEY OF PROFESSIONALISM.

After making some remarks—reported on our Sporting Review pages—concerning the council of the New Zealand Rugby League, Dr Thacker said that the Canterbury Rugby League had been highly flattered. Imitation was the sincerest form of flattery, and the league found the Canterbury Rugby Union ' adopting three "of the vital rules of the Northern Union game. . This was the thin end of the edge. When Rugby Union players began to feel the loosen-ing-up effect of those alterations the next thing would be that they would probably take out of their teams one or two players, and there would be one game —the league code —of Rugby in Canterbury, but probably with the outward distinctions of professionals and amateurs. Professionalism was a big scarecrow so fa,r as the league and the public were concerned. The league was pilloried for paying an allowance for loss of wages of members of touring teams, which was not professionalism. "We find in 'amateur ' cricket,'' continued Dr Thacker, "that the members of the New Zealand cricket team which recently visited Australia received five shillings a day. We give our own men 10 shillings a day. There is only a merely meagre line between the two, yet we find the very men who insult us by calling us professionals receiving cash as 'amateur' cricketers. Every cricketer who has since played with those men is now practically a professional. One Rugby Union representative was frightened to become a league footballer because he was frightened of being put out of amateur cricket. But he has now received cash as a cricketer."

"NOT A FAIR DEAL." Speaking of the propagation of the game, Dr Thacker said that the league needed to get down lower. It should get into the schools. If it educated the parents in the advantages of the game it would get the boys. It should also get out further, and start the game going in other districts. He was glad to be able to say that there was a possibility of Timaru coming. in this year, and also of, the game being started in Dunedin. ,If it had not been for a piece of mismanagement and jealousy on the part of the New Zealand Council, league players would have had the best ground in Dunedin. But it was possible that the ground eould be secured for a North Island v. South Island match, which would initiate the game in Dunedin. In the matter of local grounds, the Christchurch City Council had not given the league a fair deal. There seemed to be an inherent growth of the old Rugby unionism on the minds of several of the members of the City Council, but the time was coming when there would be more liberalminded men in the council. He believed, however, that by the time the City Council elections were held next year the league would have such support that it wquld be able to demand grounds in Linwood and Sydenham. Mr A. E. Hooper, who seconded the motion that the report and balancesheet be adopted, also spoke of the Reserves Committee of the Christchurch City Council having been frightened by the" bogey pf professionalism. The council was supposed to be acting in the interests of everyone in the district, . but it was not so acting. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. - Officers were elected as follow: — President, Dr H. T. Thacker; vice-presi-dents, Messrs G. Milne, N. Duncan,. W. S. Mitchell, S. M. Robinson, E. Barnes, J. M'Cullough, G. Hobbs, A. Williams, W. J. Putnan; chairman of committee, Mr A. E. Hooper; deputy-chairman, Mr J. Stirling; delegate to** New Zealand Council, Mr Angus Campbell (Auckland); secretary, Mr W. Moyle; treasurer, Mr C. Poore; auditors, Messrs L. Simpson and A. J. Harper.

The appointments of match, grounds, finance, entertainment, second division, and referees' association committees were deferred until next meeting of delegates.

OPENING THE SEASON. It was decided that the season shouid be opened next Saturday with combined games between the various clubs, at the show grounds. The competitions will start later, on a date to be arranged at the next meeting.

AN INSURANCE SCHEME. With regard to an insurance scheme, the secretary stated that he had interviewed representatives of various insurance companies, and optiona4 schemes of insurance would be placed before the delegates at their next meeting. While the matter was under discussion, Dr Thacker said he would be only too glad to give an insurance scheme all the help he could/ and he would attend to all of the league's cases of accident that he could. But the game was one that did not produce many accidents. A MATTER OF GROUNDS.

The Town Clerk of Christchurch wrote that an application had been received from the Sydenham Rugby League Football Club for *a football ground in Sydenham Park, also one from the Linwood Rugby League Football Club, for a ground in Linwood Park, but there were no grounds available »in these parks. The Reserves Committee, however, are endeavouring to arrange for one .ground in St. Albans Park, and the Town Clerk desired to ask to which club the ground, if available, should be allotted. : The matter was left for the incoming executive to deal with.- >■ BRITISH TEAM'S TOUR.

The secretary to the New Zealand League wrote that the following programme had been arranged for the British team, subject to confirmation by the Northern Union:—Arrive Aucfc-

land, July 12, play Canterbury July 15, play Hawke's Bay July 18, play Taranaki July 22, play Auckland July 25. play Wanganui July 30, play New Zealand August 1, at Auckland. The council regretted that it could not arrange a Saturday match in Christchurch, but the opinion was that in all fairness the preference on tips occasion should be given"to the Hawkers feay League, which had never had the privilege of a Saturday game before, whereas the Canterbury League had Saturday visits from the New Zealand and New South Wales teams. s Wellington was quite unable to make a game there a financial success. In order to make sure that the tour would not turn out a financial failure, it was imperative that two matches should be played in Auckland. The terms of the tour were 65 per cent, of the gross gate, and players' passes would not be allowed;

Mr A. E. Hooper said that a Wednesday match was of no use at all to the League. "If we cannot get a Saturday match," he continued, "it would be better to forego a visit from the team. Or perhaps it would be better to ask for a New Zealand match on a Saturday and forego a Canterbury match.''

Other delegates criticised the itinerary, and pointed out that if the team left Sydney on a Saturday evening, immediately after a match there, it would arrive in Wellington on the following Wednesday, and an itinerary could be arranged which would not only give Canterbury a Saturday match, but also would be better for the British team and for the other leagues. The secretary (Mr Moyle) said that the committee had already forwarded a protest to the council.

It was eventually decided that another letter should be sent to the New Zealand Council, pointing out that a Wednesday match was of no good to the Canterbury -Centre. Permission was granted to the Sydenham Club to play Addington (two teams) on the Show Grounds next Saturday. An application from the Linwood club to play St Albans on the North Park was granted. ,