NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 424, 5 February 1909, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION.

MEETING OP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

' IMPORTANT MATTERS MSCUSSrf). ;of.'considerable'import- : ' ianceswereijconsidered: at - the*, meeting: of-'the ; MM^gement.; .Goininittea if of : the* New.: 'Zealand:• jliugby/Uruon,-which waa-held lastnight.'There were present: Mr. Dison (in the chan), and Messrs.vWallburton,. Wyhe,v'Kelly, Galbraith, iXaughtpn,- :and : Laurenson/ • -r'- : ' "A communication was read with regard ■to /the:.circumstances:under .which i ,v player; who' ..jiad , ..by;the..;Nelsqii.Uniori'h'ad •.since ; :play^ i ufider./theVa'uspic4s^l of Me 'West! : : Goaiit fltmioii^-'ltwas ;deciaed • - to' < request-. the 1 :l^elson ; Umonv, ; if;.theiy/hotifled .Christie of .disqualification.;..'. . 4:; ; . Kefercnce- Vwas-.made 'to the fact that .'the: ; : >jiot. .yet, :-forwardea. : ; vb.uohers'/and /'other-,-information- 'in; 1 connectibn' .-WHh' .thfi'{vjsit-.tq';AucHandiof the; British team;' ; jAjimeinbei: Hbw!;mMy; : telegrams :: hav6: been: .transmitted >: in 4 regardC'to/- this iimatter ?' ichairman": A-groat .many, I am afraid. It was ;agre<d; v that/the secretary bo instructed; to mite' v'afstr(^y-3raWedfletter';<»;the':Anci^d'lirniiMi ! '' ;pn: the PxX ■■■■ ARE" PAID OITICIALS PROFESSIONALS? .rules.;' as .-■ to ■?. professionalism : was . again men- ; vtiohedijit^;.appeaxsthat", last';,season.: the,'coin-' i.DdttSeiV.was.a^ked j:.whether : ; :were' pi'o{essionalg, in ; ;that they. recaived:salaries for: : their, services.,/ In, reply,: iKe.' committee-pointed' -out ' that: the rulea as to professionaliem' : Teferred only- to actual players. Thiß decision : Waa, at ithe :.time:;.questioned ;by; followers. of the. game.; Laat night: the chairman (Mr:; (5. H. Dixon) producedia'letter.wiitten in August, •1896 ) : -by Mr.- EoWland-'Hill, the then -e'ecretary: ;of ':the ; . ; EngUsh'i tlnion.v:,?' Among ; other/, things,"; Mr. Hill stated: "As regards the payment of a salary, - a "man; is not made a professional by accepting it,, unless .ho plays Jootball." PROPOSED ALTERATIONS TO RULES. IS IT NECESSARY TO "CUT TEE PAINTER?" - A'lengthy discussion with respect to thS mode' of ..procedure';: which'/it.'iwould.Tie . necessary, ;to follow. in conncction with the bringing . into : ainendinents tq th'e'.laws of the i'game ;4eoided; . upon'-by j thO iCOiiference : of.: deleg^S:Vlast,;yeM';;then :;to'ok;";place. v , v;.'.-.if ; the proposed new: rules drawn, up by the. sub'.obmmitteQV.which'''Was sappomted- to.;-deal ''with 1 tli't\matter bo approved. ' then; that :it wasrliis opih--4o r n-.that .the . subcommittee: should, also-iha,ve-!vsubmitteU;"rec'omni4ndatibns r.as i,to,'what: amend-: ments to. the' constitution of the"nhi6n . r would' alsoi,be. required to be. made. • He,held that' the'proposed:rules:could, not be brought into ;OBKaQod : i^U) t til ; t-,the 'ioiisHtnlaoii' had been ' amended. ' The; mtention of the,: delegates was; ,;that-v.!the;=rulesi::sh6iUd; : .into: force! forthwith.'. i-M: ■ ■-.'Mr. '.Kelly: If: we. alter the - constitution it means that.we niust break'.away from tho Eng4ish{ Unioh'..: .. ;; ..-'Mr:: Eaughton'said the opinion .ho formed at the conference ;of-.delegates was that- the proposcd. alterations,-should -first .;of./all' be. 6Ub- : ■mitted'.td .the English Union for/confirmation.', ;It the Home authorities; declined to agree , to them-'they ' were , to .be . adopted -in New Zea- 1

there' !was'^iii6fhl]is\to' 1 prevent-New' Zealand :and' Australia - agreeing. , .'rules.' without: disaffiliating-from' the-English- Union. , >••.. ,r •jrlhe-Chairman:;We can't remain -to ' the -English' Union -if we make the • proposed - !iialterations. : >;;:The ! , object "of tbe;-next conference': I'df : delegates: is to ; the. question, of:the : . necessity to amend " the constitution - of the; union . Mr/ Isaacs: Ami.confirm 'the proposed rales?, : ' In reply, the chairman"'indicated a negative: : by a.shako,of his,head.- •_ /■'- ■ . .' Mr. -Eeljv I,'We '.ought to', acquaint the: various ! 'nnioflS/sWHh ;,, the'' factthat i.under :our- present: sendVthe rules' oii'to 'tKe English .Union for confirmation.Mr.: ' "WyliVtheri-moved'as-follows:— . ' : [,r: , mehts' variousi unions «• J they're i informed that the committee is of opinion- that under, th? present ' 'Xconstitutic|n.:bfl the.--New Zealand Union it, . . .will be necessary, for-the-proposedamend-.: ments to. bo approved b.v ;: the : : English -: -:, l^nion^befbr'o:-'.they^can^ , become operative, -'and the committee-would also point out " ; 'that if desires. the' ; proposed al-: . f .'terations,.to: take;.effect,, during -thecurrent' .• season it h'eoes'sary to give'notice to:. ' . amend specific rules,". . ■'.. -. ... v- - . The motion was.agreed-to unanimously. It was: then -resolved'-.that -the-next conference of delegates be held on March 18, instead of on March' 4, a3 'previously agreed to. .