FOOTBALL

Waikato Independent, Volume XXX, Issue 2318, 1 April 1930, Page 6

FOOTBALL

THE WAIKATO UNION. ANNUAL MEETING BUSINESS. The following business dealt with at the annual meeting of the Waikato Union on Friday night last was. excluded from our report in Saturday's issue. Insurance of Players. Mr Hv T, Haseldcn (Waipa) brought up the matter of the Waikato Union insuring rep. players. It was too much to expect sub-unions' to insure these players, besides the responsibility of i players playing in sub-union rep. matches. Mr. Haseldcn thought it was high time that Waikato had a scheme even if it meant a levy in the shape of an addition to the affiliation fees. Mr A. G. Yardley (president) expressed the opinion that the proposal of.Mr Haselden of a levy was economically unsound. As far as he could see.the only thing was to try and get a private Insurance Company to take it up. It was pointed out by Mr Haselden that Waipa had at the beginning of last season a credit.iii-.the insurance ac- : count of £BO, but they had had a bad year, and had lost all but £6. Mr Colin Speight mentioned that the Hamilton Union had also lost heavily during the past three seasons. < Finally' it was decided, on the "motion of Messrs Haselden and Chapman, that it be a recommendation to the Management Committee t° devise a scheme of insurance for representative players. - When the matter came before the Management .Committor later it was . decided that the sr>cret*u\v ino" ; re regarding 1V oroposal of tho. N t Z ; Insurance Company [9 accident policy.- ' ' . ~'. Playing of International Rules. Arising out of a- recommendation from the Cambridge and Matamata Unions ihat the Waikato Union oppose . any attempt to revert to the old rules for ordinary football in New.. Zealand this season, there was a keen discus- , , sion. j Mr Colin Speight (Hamilton) spoke j in favour of the recommendation. He thought it was not in ,the best interests of football in the Waikato to go back to the^,,., old "kick into touch" rule. .« Mr V. V G. Boulton (Cambridge) ! strongly supported the recommendation and Mr Speight's /remarks. He pointed but that it had. taken many years to build up the present game in New Zealand "and it would be .a retrograde step to go, back to the international or old "rules generally this sea- j son, just on account of the visit of the ' British team. Mr Boulton referred to the efforts being made in Wellington and in the South to go back to the old rule, and he advised caution on the part of the North in following in the ■ South'i footsteps. If the old rule were brought back this season generally it might be the thing end of the wedge to bring it back permanently. Opinion of the meeting was divided, another opinion being expressed that the All Blacks would be handicapped' ' if the old rule was not reverted to generally in the Dominion. Mr Boulton then moved and it, was gfceoded by Mr C. Gumming (Matamata) ';*■ that the delegates to the N.Z.R.U. aij'nual meeting' be instructed to oppose the adoption of the international (old) rules. " ' ' It was felt that this was tying the JiP'ids of the 'delegates too. fast, and as an amendment it was moved and seconded that the delegates be g:vcna rfrtv hand in dealing with the rules! 0-j being put to , the meeting the amendment was declared lost by 12 votes to 11. A further amendment was then moved by Mr Chapman and seconded by Mr.'Vause: "That the Waikato delegates oppose the general adoption of the international rules, but that unions so desiring to do may play the old rules for thjs season only; and that Waikato

play the present system. This was carried. Broadcasting of Matches. Another recommendation from Cambridge and Waipa was that the union endeavour to get the authorities to broadcast the tost matches with the coming Briish team. Mr Boulton moved and it was seconded by Mr Quin (Waipa) that permission be sought to have all test matches broadcast. In speaking to the motion Mr Boul ton said it was to. be regretted,, that the authorities would cut off the only chan_'« that many people In the country had of nearly first-hand knowledge of the test matches. Possibly the effect upon gates at matches in the country was a' consideration, but the splendid support that was given Rugby in the country districts entitled the people to consideration. Wireless was a blessing to the people right in the backblocks, and it was a fair thing that the test matched should be broadcast to them. Mr Haselden (Waipa) strongly supported the previous speaker, and the motion was carried, after an amendment that all matches- with the British ,team be broadcast had been lost; Reservation of Seats. A further matter brought up by the Cambridge delegates was the reservation of seats by country people for the lest and Auckland matches with the British team. In proposing that it be a recommenI dation to the Management Committee ! to discuss with its delegates to the annual meeting of the N.Z.R.U. a proposal that the management of the matches at Auckland allocate a proportion of the seats for the country districts/Mr Boulton said he could see no reason why this should not be done at Rugby matches, as was done with, other entertainments. Co untr y people travelled long distances to such matches and very often got the worst seats, if any, or were shut out altogether. There should be no difficulty in allocating a. block of scats to the Waikato Union for distribution to the sub-unions for sale.. Sales of country scats could close a few days before the matches, to enable the management at Auckland to use those scats not taken up. The motion was seconded by Mr CummiUg (Matamata) and carried unanimously. The management committee subsequently instructed its delegates to the N.Z.R-U. to place the suggestion before, the meeting. Change of Colours. The W a ip a Cub-Union applied for a change of colours. They asked for maroon with an Sin. gold band. Appreciation. A vote of ! thanks to the outgoing officers was carried, special appreciation being expressed of the retiring chairman of *the management committee, Mr Booth, of Hamiltqn.