THE MAORI TEAM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9304, 3 August 1908, Page 3

THE MAORI TEAM.

FINANCIAL TROUBLES. (Received August 3, 1.15 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 3. Ifc transpires that Saturday's match | between the Maoris and Australia was not postponed on account of rain, but was abandoned owing to a dispute be- ' twecn the Maori team and the League over money matters. On Saturday the following notice, signed by Pakere, the secretary, and Asher, the manager of the team, was handed to the secretary of the Rugby League: — " Owing to delays which have taken place in obtaining money for our j team, the members have decided to abandon to-day's match and all other engagements." Asher, on being interviewed, stated that the secretary of the League, having got an order from the Court to stop money coining to certain mem- j bers, had stopped it from the whole ! team. The men want the money they allege they are entitled to, and are not ( going to play for the benefit oi : the ; League. They may as well abandon the j tour. Another thing was that one j team went to Brisbane, leaving eleven , men in Sydney, but on reaching Newcastle it was found that the men had j been sent on. The team declined to j pay the charges of sending the men to j Newcastle, also some other charges ■ which were now in dispute. Asher stated that the team was fully paid j up to tho time the Court granted tho injunction. "Our point," concluded I Asher, " is that the money should not be 1 withheld from the men against whom there is no injunction, and that is our j legal advice. The League has broken j , its contract, and that is why we will not play." Tho League officials, in reply, claim | that they are debarred from paying any | moneys to the team under the injunction granted in the Jack case for com- . mission on the takings of the team, | which he was instrumental in getting together, and for which he conducted the preliminary negotiations. The match against New South Wales, fixed for to-day, will not be played, but it is proposed to form a new team and endeavour to arrange matches in Sydney and New Zealand.