OTAGO NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1304, 22 April 1915, Page 20

OTAGO NOTES.

(From our Dunedin correspondent). The most important information this week, so far as Otago players are concerned, is the announcement by the Otago Rugby Union that the season propel' will open on Saturday, May 8. It was deemed inadvisable, apart from other considerations, to make an earlier start with the flag competitions, and as there will be few, if any, representative matches played in Dunedin this season the slight delay will not materially .nterfere with the season’s work. Two new members, Messrs. McDonald (the All Black captain and we.lknown CKago forward) and S„yche, of the Pirates Club, took fheir seats on the Management Committee of the Otago Rugby Union this week. These are the only changes in the personnel of the committee from last season. Alex. McDonald was a member of the Selection Committee last year, but this is his first experience as one of the Management Committee. If the All Black puts the same amount of energy into the legislation of football as he does into its actualities the Union will be well served. By the way, the committee this year Will have special opportunities of showing its ability in the legislation of Rugby. The season’s operations, however, will be less active than usual, calling more for the exercise of prudence than for enterprise. The expenses incurred with the erection of the new grandstand at Carisbrook and the sending away of the Otago team on tour last year leaves the Union in a less affluent position than in former years, wherefor the policy of the Union for the next season or two calls for care in the matter of expenditure. The new grandstand, though found to be overtaxed in important matches last year, should serve for the next two seasons at least without extension, though that is bound to come later. The matter of sending an Otago team on tour will not recur for a couple of years, and in the meantime northern teams will repay the visits made last year, and so reimburse the Union for the expenditure. Altogether, the prospects of the Union are bright, and though this season there is certain to be a falling off in revenue it can be counter-balanced to a certain extent by prudence in the matter of expenditure. The Union has already taken steps to set its house in order.

Mr. H. Harris has been appointed to represent the Otago Union at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union next month, and Messrs. Eyre, Abbott, Murray and Fache have been appointed Otago delegates in Wellington. All these men are well-known in the football world and are keen supporters of the game. Otago’s interests should be well looked after in the city which is called Empire. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union, to be held in Wellington next month, promises to be more interesting than usual, owing to the changed condition of Rugby affairs in the Dominion occasioned by the large number of footballers who have joined the colours and are now in training for the firing line. Delegates from the various affiliated unions

will at this meeting discuss the situation, and the probable outcome will be instructions from the parent body to keep the game going as usual. The matter of representative football will be one of the important matters that will merit attention. It may be accepted as a fact that if representative football is played this season it will only be n a modified form, and that general touring will not be carried out. The idea of the president of the Otago Union that all tours be abandoned this year in order that the uniform arrangement of tours generally may be taken up next season appears a good one, and deserves special consideration by delegates. Some unions are .n favour of continuing old-time fixtures such as Auck-land-Taranaki, Wellington-Taranaki, Canterbury-Otago, and the like, but if these matches take place as usual it should be arranged that they do not interfere with the general arrangement of tours for the following season, when we assume the war will be over and matters are aga.n normal. However, this is a question delegates will be prepared to answer at the meeting of the New Zealand Union next mo .htnMaenE o n LmGu fip?a

month. Meanwhile, local unions will “carry on” and keep the flag flying.