Rugby League CODE’S GROWTH IN N.Z.

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28262, 27 April 1957, Page 13

Rugby League CODE’S GROWTH IN N.Z.

Annual Meeting Reports

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, April 26. The tours of England and France, and more especially the recent trip to Australia by the Kiwis, were the mainstay of the £15,847 profit shown in the New Zealand Rugby League’s balance-sheet presented at the annual meeting today. “A particularly attractive position is shown,” said the secretary, Mr J. E. Knowling, and the chairman, Mr J. W. Watson, in their joint report, "as the League has assets to a total value of £51,418 with no liabilities whatsoever. A sum of £12,000 has been put in short-term Government stock to finance future overseas’ tours.” The tour accounts for the two ventures gave the Australian profit as £14,424, and the England and France tour as £2769. Players’ reimbursements and allowances were given as £3068 and £7041 respectively. Canterbury club players had been under a physical culture instructor for the last nine weeks in an effort to gain the fitness desired by the New Zealand council for the World Cup trials, said Mr L. Huston. The maximum number who turned out had been 87, and the benefit had been shown in early matches. Through Mr J. E. Napier, Wellington claimed solid improvement in playing standard and preoccupation over the last season, with improvements to their new fields at the Showgrounds. About £5OOO had gone from the national council and Wellington toward this development. New Clubs Clubs were being founded in new areas, and Wellington had been asked to send teams for exhibition matches at Palmerston North, where Rugby League had been recently founded. Further help to Palmerston North will be given by Taranaki, said Mr D. A. Hicks. Three or four of their players had been nominated in the side to play South Auckland on May 11. Over the last seven years his league had spent £2500 to develop schoolboy players, and estimated it was losing 90 per cent, once they went to high school. Auckland made a suggestion through its secretary, Mr R. G. McGregor, that, in future, tours by overseas club sides, such as Balmain, could be extended throughout ; the country instead of being re- . stricted to a single province. The Increase in junior and schoolboy teams had been "staggering,” he • said. An instance was the sevent a-side and midget grades, where almost 200 teams competed. A suggestion from the West Coast - for a New Zealand Maori tour was : adopted by six votes to two.