UNREST ABOUT RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 5

UNREST ABOUT RUGBY.

WHAT IS THE GAME'S FUTURE? (By Telegraph-Press Association.! ; Chiistchurch, March 31. A note of warning against the inroad of professionalism-into the Rugby gamo was sounded by Mr. G. H. Mason, president of tho Canterbury Rugby Union, at to-night's annual general meeting of , that body. In spite of tho futile efforts, ho said, to introduce into" Canterbury a payment for lost time; the union was still being called to account by some newspapers and a certain minority of the . public. Ho was perfectly satisfied in his own mind that it was not tho players of Canterbury who wanted payment for lost time. Ho thought that, once they did that, they would b6;introdilcing.the thin end of the .wedge. One significant fact was that ono,union in tho ! Dominion, which.had given: consolations to, its players, was the ono union' that , 7 isukl raisp„jt %pfessionai"teani;., : ,;Ho ' was, -however, satisfied'that' it would'be 'many days before they got the professional game in Canterbury. He was quite, satisfied that, once it entered, it "would wreck the came'in Canterbury. ' Another speaker considered that football had not advanced in Canterbury as it should. He'thought that the present -unsatisfactory .position was due to tho Rugby^. Union Committee, who had grbwnpout of touch with players, and he .considered that' their positions could well be filled by others more in sympathy with tho players.