MAORI FOOTBALLER

Evening Star, Issue 22445, 16 September 1936, Page 12

MAORI FOOTBALLER

CANARD RUGBY INCIDENT SELECTORS EXPLAIN THEIR POSITION The North Otago Rugby selectors (Messrs W. Williams, L. Ward, and J. Palmer), in an interview with the ‘ Star ’ regarding the attitude adopted by H. Mason, the Maori footballer, in electing to play for a Maori team _in Canterbury instead of representing North Otago against Ashburton, stated that they had no notification from the union or Mason m respect to the Maori match on September 5. Mason was selected to play for North Otago against Ashburton on September 5, and on, Tuesday, September 1, he approached' Mr Palmer with regard to his playing for the Maori team. Mr Palmer interviewed one of the other selectors and discussed the matter, but before coming to a decision decided to see the president of the North Otago Rugby Union (Mr A. Gilchrist), who stated emphatically that Mason must play for North Otago. This ended the matter so far as the selectors were concerned. It devolved upon the union to make the next move. Mr Ward’s refusal was based on the knowledge of the attitude of the union regarding these matters. Mason was not told that he would lose his blazer; it was only a suggestion that he might do so. Mason’s non-appearance at the Ashburton match was the reason of his being left out of the team to meet the Australians, for which the selectors took full responsibility, but they resented an attempt by the union to place the responsibility for its own mistakes on the shoulders of the Selection Committee. The suggestion by Messrs W. Atkinson and A. Marshall that the selectors had attempted to override the union was unworthy of comment.