LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 238, 2 July 1919, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE RUGBY

LEAGUE

CR. LUCICIE'S REMARKS ANSWERED

Sir, —I feel sure you will give me space in your columns in order to reply to the very inaccurate and unsportsmanlike statements made by Councilfor Luckie 'during the council proceedings last week, when the question of allowing the Rugby League tho use of the Basin Reserve in ordor to piny representative matchcs was being discussed. , Councillor Luckie is reported to have made a big bid, and a successful one, to keep the League under, and it is a wellknown fact tnat some of the councillors present, knowing that Councillor Luckib has been associated with sports bodies, naturally took more notico of his remarks than usual, and voted against lirofcssionalism and gladiators, and rightly eo too, if this eviJ existed. For Councillor Luckio's information I will say that the League (jamo as constituted under the jurisdiction of the N.Z. League Council, is not a professional game; the rule relating- to the payment of players is very plain, and is strictly carried out. The rule is as follows (Ruf.e 36): The League may pay men for loss of time during 6uch perici as they are nway from their homes as representatives of the League, at a rate not exceeding 10s. per day in addition to travelling oxpeuses. No such allowance shall be made in respect to 'any Sunday. No. 37 says:— No affiliated league, district league, or club ehull compensate any player for playing football. No player shall directly or indirectly receive any sum of money for playing football, except as is mentioned in the last preceding

These rules are plain enougl), and I am sure no sane person will quibblo at a player receiving 10.?. per day for loss of time while on tour. The All Blacks received 3s. por day, and they were not classed as professionals. It is possible that thero are League players in England who are professionals, and the same can lie said of Association players and cricketers, but one would never dream of classing Association players and cricketers of thb Dominion ns professionals, although I could mention certain cases, where certain Wellington cricketers have received loss of time while playing representative cricket, and while the samo Councillor Luckie was chairman of the association too. I have been secretary of the League for the past five years, and I can vouch for this much—that no player has received payment for playing football in Wellington at any time dur-' ill" these five years, and the last teams that travelled to Auckland and Christchurch did so without being paid loss of time; mid, further, there are no-paid officials in the League Executive. The secretaryship of the League for the past five years has been purely honorary—no pay, not even the old-time purse of sovereigns. ; ~ The assertion that the game is made a game of gladiators is hardly true, at least I have not seen any. Councillor Luckic also said that tho League game is plaved under rules which' require a man to be in the pink of condition or else he cannot play. This is altogether •wrong. Any game is oniy as fast as the nlavers euro to make it, and I would remind Councillor Luckie that there is great controversy in the lUgby ranks at present concerning some of the League rules which the Rugby people want to adopt, and-.only for one object, viz., to make the game faster, and consequently more entertaining to the public. In conclusion I would like to say that it is just possiti a that Councillor Luckie has been misinformed concerning the League game, and if so I hope lie do the right thing and make amends to the players of the League code and not deprive them of playing against, or the Wellington public the opportunity ol witnessing, the New South Wales team in action in Wellington. Apologising for taking up so much of your valnme space—l am, etc., g EIC g i Hon. Sec. W.R.F. League. June 30.