THE MANAGEMENT OF "SOCCER."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 550, 3 July 1909, Page 3

THE MANAGEMENT OF "SOCCER."

;•:Sir,—As,,a; follower and.-supporter' b{ ■ Me Association- gamo -for some , :years past;: I w'as amazed.at''.the.'stand' taken by ,tiie-.comini,t'- : tee.;at_last. : -,'Wednesday 'night's 'meeting,: ire the claim./bf a";senior club. to/.'al match,, lostby them, on; Saturday last, because their victonous; opponents had violated; a Vrule made by'the said' commitee, presenting a .''commit-' ,teeman' ; from ■•' participating in any club .match'. ; Haying ',seen'.the circular which gave notice y to the... ditferent clubs'.that this ■rule and.- others, "were made for -local'/''rfequirp-' raente>_ eto-ijr l -'a, l ? iin ,>■ positibri :,to states that there conld not possibly bo ahy'-"mis-understanding''.;in',;thiß matter; -.Yet, sir, (thei.decision,'of this.governing; at the meptißg was,'that.: , .'there : seem's te'bo-some' misunderstanding" somewhere, and therefore the. protest;,cannot; be considered. " Surely, .sir,;if;a ; governing. body''draws, up i a code of 'rules,>for the; conducting':of the , ."soccer"-' gamo.nere,',-;does-it, not. seem '.peculiar that■ ;the ;first : . time; a-violatiqii of. these rules comes . under > their 'notice, they : have not suilicierit .principle or: back-boue* to adhere to them; cost-.what' it may?. This," however is not: the ...first'"ease \in "which- those; rules drawn -lip for localv clubs have. been violated, and .'.the , .,.offenders again,.' justified :' in the eyes _of.,the committco.:, Another 'of' the rules, is; this:i.Sliould,the tewn grounds' bo too . wet-.,to;, : play / O h, -.all. matches 'are , thereby .transferred to .-Miramar',', • and must be played on ■grounds.' specially appointed ' there'in case", of such an emergency.. l . A notioe. to'; this .'■effect is put ;'.up at .convenient : places, in-to\yn.. when .necessary .-.Some tinio ago,; two; junior. r Tteams, appointed to play d.uly notified, that on account ;of,jwet 'weather,'-.their .'match', was transferred to ; ]\liramar. :One .team, ; and the refereo,;',.turned up, 'the-.other failed'to appear. -.Naturally,' sir, the.tearQ .thattu.rned out, thereby , abidingly .the ;how the two competition- points which were rightly theirs. ;>Yhat was; their- dismay on , the following'Thnrsday to. find that: the secretary had, been instructed -to! find .out why their, bnnonents ' did not put in an ■ appeaxsice.

Here we have a case, of a committee drawing up rules, ordering'them "to be , strictly (?) obeyed; and then running after, an otfending ;club, to. find but: reawns why. it could not adhere to them, and finally announcing to the club team, which, paid its expenses to .Ahramar (and were deprived of their afternoons sport), that the two points could not be allowed them,.for fear, perhaps, the other omb; would - withdraw from' the 'association. Another ridiculous rule framed locally is that should one team successfully protest against another for playing' a member over age, the offending team has two points deducted from that team's competition points, or, what ja still more farcical,'the committee sometimes give 'satisfaction to the protesting side, by merely stating that ih} game.shall be replayed■ at ; the end of the season if necessary., Now, do you not think' this an: injustice to those law-abiding teams affected? .■•.'.■...■'■.. , .. ..-.■. In; my opinion, if there is not a more tlennite stand taken,• soon each team in' the competition will ibo able to follow rules made to their own liking, and the result of such a state of affairs is not hard to imagine. Already there is a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the control .of affairs, and, through the jnst complaints of an ardent supporter, an Appeal Committee has been formed.. It^: is ,to be hoped the gentlemen apppintod thereto will fearlessly and conscientiously do their duty, and not pander to'certauv clubs, who have shown no liking W:*: straightforward; adherence to the rules pi the Aseociation game iorto those made locally. Comment on /tho fact that the committee already m existence demands the withdrawal of two members,of that committee, • and ' re-elects them . within five minutes, is quite unnecessary. The inconsistency;.of such a course of action is too pbvions.—l am,, etc., '■■■:■■'■■■ '■'•■':: P. G. PRICE, ■■■;• ; Wellington, July 1, : 1909. .-.•..■•• /';■ ', - ; AN OPEN LETTER TO Dr7bORANOFF. Sl^~} n e i ? £ - y* u - **>' aia t° me the following difficulties which have arisen in jmy mind > after reading reports and ' advertisements' of .your lecturing tour through New.Zealand.... ~, ...,-.:.. ,• •• In the first place,-I am sure that: you are quite well aware .of the. fact .that every i active member of the Russian Revolutionary movement carries on his work in a spirit of ' complete, self-offacemont,-. working . sinnle- i heartfidly for the - benefit of the great cause .ami without a thought'of his own benefit or Ewrj-, That,b«ing so, are you a member of . ™e T ßussian Revolutionary movement or not t;-~ If .you are, why do you so utterly, violate 1 traditions of our movement by advertising yourself ;in -the same manner that : b T e expected of a comedian or an aero--bat? Not a single'case .of self-glorification can,be quoted.aa a precedent:, your position is remarkable.- - ,'. ;.' \- ; ~; .:: . • ; ., ;'._ Why. do you state that the Russian is restneted in the style of clothing that he may adopt/and to'snch an extent':'that should he wish to .wear .boots he must .pay for the privilege? .Should he wish,to wear any coat but the• sheepskin, he must likewise pay. By what evidence'can you support such a, state-' mentr -,>■->■(. . "■...'..'■■:■■ V , ~-: '. * .;_Why;' do you' state. that after arrest, and while in prison, you' learned that your case, had. ;been.tried, and that youhad. been sentenced to four years' exile in.the mines? At the time.you. quote, it was the, custom to pass such sentences only.in open court and when the':prisoner was" presents ' .;.' '■-' . ■'■ ;Whj£ - do:you.state that you'were sentenced to. the salt; mines ;■ in- the Irkutsk district, ;and brought up tp ; -the surface for but two :hours once a month? I know of salt marshee m that district, but, not of mines. Will you be-more definite in stating the locality?, Arid why ■,was such an..exception 'made" in-, your case?; It was not the custom .then tp'-Bend. politicals to .the rpines,': and as .for chaining ithem ,to*wheel-barrows, that penalty; was reserved , for - criminals (common' 'felphe) who were insubordinate' during the"period of their mearceration. : You should, state; that lyour treatment was.". entirely without; precedent, and' give tho reasons' for it,' and then , Wβ ■would: not be: so astounded .at your stats-: merits; \'/'.: :;: -. :; '- •■■,'•<'.■.■;.•'; ; :'' ■':.'•■■•',■.•. -V-. - ; ; ■:..'•• ' What is your authority ; for. s.i.ying r th'at .on' "Red : Sunday" .a crowd, headed 'by father Giponjv went to the Tsar demanding a' Con l stittrtion?;..- Authentic history ;says w that-, the crowd .was composed of: the':unemployed who went' to the Tsar: to tvsk ,; to; irjve. them ifood and work:and help them'in'thoir unbearable 'ijfeV'.-'.V - ; .■''.•; '■'.■■.■.','•.■, '({';.[;';, ■■■:';,;■.■•■:)'^-'V''' 1 .You.'.will Temomber that' I wrote , to. yon on' the 31st'..of May liist. 'and the letter-that" you'-sent ..in'.reply. simply amazes..'me.- "■• It of lint three short linps!on.ordinary \note-paperi and yet in these three'lines you have made mistakes in grammar and spell-, ing, and 'likewise failed to employ the usual' Erissiin phraseology. How can, you' recori.cile'snch an 'illiterate epistle with your state-: nient that' you iire'^a , graduatejof ■ St.'■Peters-,-birjr rUniversity ?'. How can you, recbheile it with-the statement- that youare a sian? And how can you;reconcile th« erron-. oods: statement referred to stove with your,' claim to'have been connectpd 'with-the'Rus-sian, Revolutionary .movement ?. t I. await ■ your reply.—l am,'your'humhle'servßtit.)'..'-i , ' , ' :■ -•;'■■ %L & r : f'\~ PISARENKO, : ; /' officer of the. Militia of the Grand Duke\; GeojgV-Michaeloyitch and [ the Govern-, j ment'_s .Vrailwnjrs,:in 'the Caucasus'"and-.H^st■ Siberias;. political,;refugee '': .'■.:,'■ ',' -: : -- : ''-- "■. Hawke's Bay, June" 28. ',-'•...;. 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