STILL SIMMERING.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17221, 3 October 1927, Page 11

STILL SIMMERING.

RUGBY TROUBLE IN WAIRARAPA. REFEREES AT LOGGERHEADS. STRAIGHT TALKING ON BAY GAME. Although in Hawke's Bay it has been nopularly committed to the limbo ol S forgotten things, the recent b g match at Solway, with all the unPJJcedentcd incidents that followed still causes much feeling in Wairarapa One result of the match »n Masterton was to bring about what almost amounted to an estrangement of the Wairarapa Rugby Referee, Assooia lion with the Wairarapa Rugby Onion and the thing reached such a pass that afone stage the "whistlers" threatened lo go on strike through the union exonerating Q... Donald over the order-ins-off incident. The bitterness that the affair generated has evidently not yet been wiped out, and there is no sign of oompl-te reconciliation between the two bodies, for at a general meeting of the Wairarapa Referees' Association, held in Carterton recently, it was decided to send the following letter to the Wairarapa Rugby Union in answer to their letter of July 29: —

Referees Not Studied. "The Wairarapa Referees' Association arc in receipt of your letter, in which you de.sire to know if the information appearing in the papers ol August 13 last was supplied by the Wairarapa Referees' Association, and we have to advise that same was supplied by us. "In your first question you ask rot an explanation regarding a publication appearing in the papers of August 13 last. We, the members of the wairarapa Referees' Association, are of the opinion that your union has not studied the interests of its members with regard to the appointing of referees for your representative games, and we place the following facts before you. The Hawke's Bay Game. "Before the Hawke's Bay v. Wairarapa game on July. 9, the Hawke's Bay Union asked that they be supplied with the names of four local referees, from whom they would make their selection of a referee to control the game. You ignored this request, and sent in the names of one local and one outside referee. The Hawke's Bay Union persisted in their demands, and you at last submitted two local names, stating that there were only two referees in our association who could control a representative match. Judging by the standard set by some referees who have had representative games in the Wairarapa this year, we are of the opinion that we have at least six men who are capable of controlling representative matches. The New Zealand Union. "We are agreed that, when a Shield game is played, or a visiting team ;s sent on tour by the New Zealand Rugby Union, the visiting team or the New Zealand Rugby Union have the right to ask for an outside man, but in the case of the Hawke's Bay Union they did not do so, and in your other Shield game you did not wait for the visitors to ask for a local nian, but decided that the New Zealand Union be asked to appoint the referee, to whom we gave our assistance in every way; but when the Taranaki team were to play your team, you again decided, by six votes to five, to ask the New Zealand Rugby Union to appoint a man from outside to control the game, and as this game was only an ordinary representative fixture, we considered that our members had had a slur cast on them as referees; in fact, it was an insult to us. Past Understanding. "It was then decided to ask the assistance of sister associations. That these other associations thought the same was proved by the response that was forthcoming from their members, who were appointed to take the gaiiv, and consequently we did not feel disposed to assist the man who came up at the eleventh hour. "One of your committee made the statement that, we refused to Lake a representative game, but how any of our members could refuse to take a game, when we were never asked, is beyond understanding. Again, when the Wanganui team played in the Wairarapa, it was staled at your .meeting on Thursday, August 25 last, that Mr Perry had consented to referee the game; ycu did not wait to sec if the Wanganui Union desired an outside or a local man, and we have been informed that they were never consulted in the matter. "Referees Been Slighted." "That our association has been slighted by the Wairarapa Union no one can deny. You also wish to know why no complaint was made in the first instance, and we would point out that, at a meeting of our association, held on .July 20 last, a complaint was made with regard lo your treatment of our members over the Hawke's Bay match, and also to the insulting remark made by one of your members to one of our members, and which was published in all the papers of New Zealand. "We have not yet seen where any of the members of the union denied that statement. Such statement (which was made public) was a gross libel on the character of one of our members, and it seems to us that that statement had the backing of the union.

Still Ignored. "When it was stated that the union was going to ask for an outside referee for the Taranaki game, our secretary rang up the secretary of the Wairarapa Union, asking what was he reason for going outside for a referee for an ordinary representative fixture, and he was informed that he was not the Rugby Union, and the matter dropped. ' "It was too late to call a meeting of our association and draft a letter of protest, so the telephone was used. We made our protest through other channels, and after that protest was made the union still ignored our association. " Some of the members of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, no doubj;, think they had a perfect right to go outside for referees to control these games, hut if they are consistent in their belief, why did they not accept an outside man for the game at Napier on June 3 last? And why have they played under the members of local associations in their games while on tour? "The members of the Wairarapa Referees' Association have always stood by the local union and given all their assistance for the good of the game in the Wairarapa, and feel that they, as a body of referees,- have nothing to hide or be ashamed of."