The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, NOV. 18,1905. IN THE CAUSE OF HUMANITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1605, 18 November 1905, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, NOV. 18,1905. IN THE CAUSE OF HUMANITY.

The proposal made by the Premier at r Helensville, that the people of the eolony should find help for the British unernployed and for the famine-stricken Japanese, should find a hearty response in prosperous New Zealand. The suggestion is that foodstuff should be provided. At best all this oolony could do would not go a great way, but the example would be a noble one, and would no doubt be promptly followed by others. The subjsot opens up some important questions such as the existence of great wealth and bitter poverty side by side, but it is not a time for tbe discussion of such subjects. The need is for act ! on of a humanitarian kind, and rightly tbe proposal comes from Mr SoddoD as head of the Government. If ail our wealthy fioekownerß contributed iu kind in accordance with their known generosity there would be substantial i assistance given, We have no doubt Ibat there will oe a hearty response to the t Premier’s appeal, and that this dißtriot, , which is noted for its liberality in every ( worthy case, will not be slow in offering to , do ita share. t

TO-DAY’S MATCH. The victorious inarch of the New Zealand footballers in England has aroused considerable enthusiasm, not

only among footballers, but in all quarters, and bas attracted attention wherever the Rugby game has been heard of. To~d-iy the first big representative match will bo played, the team doing battle against Scotland. On past play victoiy for Now Zealand seems assured, but the result of the match will be watched with the keenest interest. We regret to notice that somo journals are fostering a spirit of provincialism, instead of claiming the team as a New Zealand one. The Now Zealand Times having

published the analysis of tho scores made by our footballers at Homo, with the points made by the provincial . representatives, Dr Nowman, president of the Wellington Rugby Union, writes to that paper as follows: —“Whilst all football enthusiasts must thank the newspapers for the accounts of our New Zealand football team, I, with many others, regret the constant statement about ‘ Hunter (Taranaki),’ ‘Wallace (Wellington),’ etc. In your sub-leader to-day you emphasise the evil by adding up the points, so many to Wellington, Auckland, etc. This is a New Zealand team, and any effort to allot praise to one province is hurtful. Even the boys in Wellington, educated by the press, are talking of what the Wellington, as opposed to the Auckland players, are doing, Some years ago we sent a team to New South Wales. A provincial lot in the team determined that their threequarter man

should get the' greatest number of tries, and they fed him constantly, starving the other wing-threequarter, to the hurt of the game. The team at at last interfered. When we send away a football team we want it to be a colonial team, not provincial. The men should be picked as the best, no matter where they come from. Take this team: Wellington has Wallace, McGregor, and Roberts (three backs), Auckland has six forwards and one back. Naturally, in your summary of points, our three are far ahead of

Auckland’s six, but is this nice criticism, or even. quite fair ? The Auckland forwards, Gallaher, Tyler, Cunningham, Nicholson, Seeling, and Madkrell, even aided by Smith, cannot score bb do our three. But where would our three be, and how much would they score, without Gallaher, Tyler, etc. ? Cunningham, the burly lock, I hear, is playing a great game, quite as useful to the team as Eoberts or McGregor. Yet the reports hardly mention him. All the public praise Wallace, Hunter, Eoberts, Smith, and the other backs. My iboy at Oxford went to see the team play at Exeter. He enthusiastically praises the backs, and then thoughtfully adds : ‘ After all, the finest thing in the match was the way our seven forwards went through the Devon eight.’ I said before they went Home that I believed our backs were the finest the world ever saw. That opinion is being proved correct. The forwards felt they were not so good, but they have buckled to in grim earnest, and every man of them is doing his level best. The forwards, however, are a nameless group, and the reports only take note of our brilliant backs. Eoberts, I learn privately, is ■ playing a great game, but he has scored few tries. Why ? Because Eoberts is unselfish; he plays the game. He loyally passes, does his' duty to his team, and does not try to cover his individual self with glory. I earnestly hope we Bhall all welcome baok the team without introducing and fostering the harrow spirit of provincialism.”