FOOTBALL TOURS IN WAR TIME

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2444, 24 April 1915, Page 8

FOOTBALL TOURS IN WAR TIME

■ POSITION OP RUGBY LEAGUE. {By Telegraph.—Press Association.) , Auckland, April 23. Discussing the Sydney "Daily Telegraph's" criticism of the New Zealand Rugby League's proposal to send a team to. Australia, Mr. Carlfi.w, president of the New Zealand Council, said the tour had not been definitely _ arranged. An invitation was received from the New South Wales League to send a team in June. The New Zealand Council decided that the unsettled conditions resulting from the war- were too pronounced, for the invitation to. be. accepted outright. The New South Wales League was asked to. make the invitation good for a later stage of tie season, and no further action' would be taken until a reply to that inquiry was received.

Regarding the ethics of the matter, it was essential that large numbers of men should remain isolated in countries like New. Zealand, to maintain defence and industry. These included a fair proportion of footballers, and why should they be debarred from using the sporting ■ fields for muscular developments? He would like to ask the critics what they had to say about the continuation of iiorso raring during the war.

Mr. G. Heogan, chairman of the Rugby League, said lie was of opinion that his body was totally averse to sending teams out of the Dominion at the present time. It was not our turn to ! visit Australia. New South Wales and Queensland were expected to come here first, and he did not think this would be done while the war conditions were so complicated.