A TOURING FUND.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17664, 13 September 1919, Page 6

A TOURING FUND.

TO ENCOURAGE OUR FOOT-

BALLERS

Our Sub-Unions —Rangitikei, Taihape, Ruapehu, and Wairoa —hold tthe opinion that the controlling body, the Wanganui Rugby Union, has not given them the necessary consideration which they have been entitled to during the past and present season, and undoutbedly the grievance is justified to an extent. A serious effort is to be made to have the position remedied by next football season, a special general meeting held on Tuesday last being particularly partial to a comprehensive scheme outlined by a member of the Management Committee, Mr. G. H. Pownall, but, first of all. it must be understood that the success or otherwise of the proposal rests solely on. the support of players and enthusiasts, both in Wanganui and in the Sub-Union districts. The writer is

sure that the project is such as will commend itself to all supporters of the game. .

Episode the first is to raise funds by means of a huge bazaar rr a monster carnival in Wanganui, with the aid of which function a reserve fund of, say, £1250, more or less, could be raised and put aside, and labelled "Touring Fund." Eack local club would be responsible for a stall ef its own, while the Sub-Unions could assist quite well by sending in produce and goods to be sold, and by holding entertainments in their own* centres. In fact, have a gala week in Wanganui and in each Sub-Union district. The bazaar stunt is first to be considered, for it is by this means there will be procured the funds necessary for the subsequent scheme of assisting and improving the game throughout the Union.

It was resolved that tlie bazaar be held before next Easter, and that a preliminary meeting of the executive, comprising a delegate from each club in Wanganui, be held at Mr. Pownall's office on Tuesday next, aat 7.30 p.m. Episode the second "will eventuate when the bazaar stunt, has been concluded, and the required funds raised. "COUNTRY WEEK" is the title bestowed on this event, which, summed up, is as follows: — Wairoa, Ruapehu, Rangitikei, and Taihape Sub-Unions send their best fifteen to Wanganui at the same time for a period covering .a week or ten days, during which they would each meet the other Sub-Unions, each team playing three games, and immediately on the concl ..sion of this tournament a representative fifteen would be selected from the four Sub-Unions for the purpose of meeting the Wanganui representatives. . The "gates" from these games would not be enormous, but they would be of generous proportions, and go a long way to paying the expenses of the visiting Sub-Unions' players, the balance of their expenses being met out of the fund already referred to. With the Sub : Unions' tournament over, and the final match with Wanganui concluded, the way would be cleared for the selectors to pick absolutely the finest team available from Wanganui and its affiliated SubUnions for the final objective, which is tbje SOUTHERN TOUR NEXT SEASON, by which time it is to be sincerely hoped the railway restrictions will ! really have been lifted for all time. It has been suggested that the SubUnions be represented on the selection committee, but even without this there should be no d^ubt but that all parts of the Wanganui Rugby Union's district will be represented in the touring team.

The projected tour south must come off, for Wanganui owes matches pretty well all round, and they must be repaid before we can hope for visits from outside representative teams, which, after all, are the real test of the strength of Wanganui football. Probably matches would be played with Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington, Canterbury. South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. Then the following year \v could travel north, doing Hawkes Bay, Auckland, and Taranaki, the lastnamed province, and also Manawatu, being part of the home-and-hbme matches.

The scheme as outlined above is undoubtedly a splendid one, worthy of commending itself to all players and enthusiasts.' The biggest ob : staple is undoubtedly the first, that of the bazaar for raising the necessary touring funds, but with the whole-hearted support of all there should be no great difficulty, although it will entail a tremendous amount of work, wLich can very well be cut up among the three to four hundred footballers playing the game in Wanganui.

As stated above, the ball will be set rolling on Tuesday night next, at Mr. Pownall's office, when representatives of each, club will meet tj take the initial steps.