The Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1927. ROUGH PLAY MUST BE CHECKED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18188, 22 June 1927, Page 8

The Star. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1927. ROUGH PLAY MUST BE CHECKED.

Rugby is a hard enough game without the introduction of rough tactics and even open warfare, and therefore the Rngby Union would be well advised to deal as sternly as possible with all cases of foul play. In the old days a player who was ordered off was not likely to escape With so light a penalty as a brief suspension, but nowadays it seems to he considered adequate to stand a man down for a couple of Saturdays for striking another player, or even abusing the referee. These penalties will have to be increased if the game is to be kept clean. There have been bad examples of rough play even on the Oval at Lancaster Park, and the infection seems to have spread to some of the smaller clubs. In the heat of the chase a player is likely to lose a certain amount of self-restraint, especially in cases where he may he very firmly, though erroneously, convinced that he himself has been attacked, but the impression seems to he gaining ground that the Rugby field after all is a little bit over-crowded, that wing forward tactics tend to spoil the game, and that a reduction in the number of players would lead to more open play. There is no great likelihood of any sudden change in this direction, although the Rugby playing countries would no doubt agree upon the need for some improvement, but, in any case, we suppose there will always be the need for discouraging rough play, and the Rugby Union should address itself seriously to this problem before it gets any worse.

Roadmaking is the subject that looms most largely iu all gatherings or conferences such as that of the South Island Progress Leagues. It is really the most important national subject before the public. The only pity is that there should be so much discussion and so little action. The subject is of importance not only to the country districts but also to the city, and in that connection it is most discouraging to find that the City Council, at meeting after meeting, is content to go on without even a question being asked regarding the roads scheme that its engineer has under consideration. At one time it was confidently expected that the preliminary work at least 'would provide an outlet for unemployment this winter, but even at the present moment it seems doubtful whether a scheme could be put in hand to meet the needs of next winter.

The working session of Parliament will be opened to-morrow, and legislators should be faced with a programme of very great importance to the Dominion. It is a long time since so many important measures were promised, and there is every prospect that the session will be long and Irving. Mr Coates has such a substantial majority that he ought to be able to expedite the business of Parliament as successfully as any Prime Minister in the past, although a good many of the subjects which will come up for discussion will be non-party measures, and as such cannot be forced through the House. The coming session will be very largely a testing time for the Coates administration, and if the Prime Minister is wise, in view of the very important matters that are to be adopted, he w'ill endeavour to make it a real working session, eliminating the long and dreary debates that waste so much of the time of Parliament. This can only be done by having Bills ready for consideration, and that depends very largely upon the pre-sessional activities of Ministers. We hope that a pleasant surprise is in store for the country in this direction at least, whatever may be said of the contents of the Bills that the Government will produce.