ZINGARI CLUB’S LETTER

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19829, 19 June 1934, Page 8

ZINGARI CLUB’S LETTER

“SLAP AT FLAG COMMITTEE ” RUGBY UNION DISCUSSION Further discussion concerning a letter received from the Zingari Club took place at last night’s meeting of the Management Committee of the South Canterbury Rugby Union. The Union replied to the first letter, to the terms of which exception was taken by some members of the committee, and in reply the Union last night received the following letter.— “Further to your letter of 13th inst., re Zingari Club’s protest against playing senior football on race day, 16th inst. At a committee meeting of the Club, held on 13th inst., it was unanimously decided to endorse the secretary’s letter of protest.” The chairman (Mr A. G. Knowles) said that the letter was in reply to the Union secretary’s letter, but they had endorsed their own secretary’s letter. Mr A. B. Herdman moved that the letter be received. Mr W. A. Cumming: Are you going to accept that? The chairman: Mr Herdman has moved that it be received. Mr Cumming: Would the secretaiy read the latter part of the Zingari Club’s letter. The secretary read the part referred to as follows:—“That the changing of the advertised draw by the Flag Committee. containing a strong majority of Star Club supporters, would certainly assume a suspicious aspect, if, as a result, the Star team was to play a depleted Zingari team on a day which had up to the time of the change of the draw been an assured holiday.” Inference In Letter. Mr Cumimng: “I hope you get what they infer in that last paragraph. It i 3 a direct smack at Mr Sullivan and myself. We happen to be the two Star members on the committee, or they think we are.” Continuing, he asked if the secretary had any minutes of the meeting held on the Sunday night. The secretary replied that he had no minutes. Mr Cumming: I would like to know the seconder of the motion. A voice: It was Mr Sullivan. The chairman: I think it was Mr Williams. Mr Cumming: What I would like to ask Mr Williams is whether he endorses what is contained in the Zingari Club’s letter. Mr Williams: That concerns the cluo and not this committee.

The chairman: Address this way please. Mr Williams: I am a member of this committee. The chairman: The Union made the alteration, not the Flag Committee. Mr L. Connolly said that it was not decided until last Monday that there was to be football on race day. Mr A. B. Rowlands: You are on the wrong leg. The trouble concerns the alteration in the draw. Mr Williams: The whole objection is to playing on race day. A motion was moved at the beginning of the season that no football be played on race day. The chairman: No. Mr Connolly said that they had agreed to play on race day on the first occasion on account of having lost a Saturday through wet weather. The question of other race days was held over. Mr Rowlands: Exception is being taken to the draw being altered. Mr Connolly: Not at all. Slap at Flag Committee. The chairman: They had a straight slap at the Flag Committee, and it had nothing to do with the committee. Mr Cumming: Yes, but the aspersion they are casting is out of all reason. What can you take from it? There is only one inference. Mr Connolly: They must have been under the impression that there was a motion on the books. Mr Williams: They were under the impression that there would be no play on race day. Mr Sullivan: Perhaps it would oe better to tell them why we changed the draw. Mr Williams: They are not worrying about the change in the draw. Mr Sullivan: The draw was changed to bring the two leading teams together. A voice: On a day other than a race ejay. Mr Cumming : It was in r o interests of the Union. We thought we would get a good game and a goc.i gate. We got a good gate, too, the best we ever had on a race day. The chairman: No one objected to it at the time. Mr Cumming: I have got my opinion of the writer, and I am going to express it before the meeting closes. Mr Aitken: The club has endorsed it. Mr Herdman’s motion that the letter be received was carried.