AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2055, 16 April 1907, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL.

MEETING OL<' THE LEAGUE. A general mooting of tlio A ustra •ian Football Longue was hold at Llio Masonic Hotel last night, the President (Mr. It. W. Cary) presiding. Tlio Chairman reported that lie had attended a conference of delegates from Clubs playing the Australian game in New Zealand held at Auckland recently. A team is to leave New Zealand in August 1908 to tour tlio whole of Australia, and the financing of the tour had been arranged. A subsidy of £BO was given by tlio Australian League for the encouragement of the game in New Zealand, and a small amount would be given to Gisborne. If a decent team could be got together a team would be sent 1 roill Auckland to play a game in Gisborne. Interprovincial matches to decide on the personnel of the team to tour Australia would be held at tlio beginning of next season. The affiliation fee for centres was fixed at £2 2s. The minutes of all meetings of oontres are to bo sent to the secretaries of all other centres.

Mr. W. L. Clayton wrote accepting the position of vice-Prcsidont and forwarding a cheque towards tlio League’s funds.

The Secretary reported that at a meeting of the committee it was decided that the colors of the League be black and white. He and others had made enquiries regarding a ground and after a good doal of trouble had got one at ICaiti which was thought to bo satisfactory. No arrangement as to renting the ground had been made.

It was decided that a sub-com-mittee consisting of Messrs. Schofield, Wack, and Cary bo sot up to make arrangements for the ground. The matter of arranging a scratch match to start tlio season was left in the hands of the gonoral committee. It is proposed to hold the first match on Saturday next. The question as to the day on which the matches should be played was discussed, and it was urged that as tlioro was no other football on Thursday afternoon it would be well to hold the Australian games. It was decided that tlio matches be played on Saturday. A letter of thanks is to bo sent to Mr .Shaw, South Australia, who donated a football to the League. It was decided that if possible matches should bo arranged for Thursdays. The Treasurer reported that the League’s funds woro in a very healthy condition. The opinion was expressed that there would bo no difficulty in getting two teams and that perhaps a bird team might bo procurable. Mr. Lane was appointed a viccPresident of the League, vice a gentleman who had declined the position. Tlio following members were elected:—T. Burke, A. Burnett, M. Cleary and Cobb. The Chairman said ho wished it well known that the League was not in any way antagonistic to the Rugby Union —the members of the League had never played anything else but the Australian game and they wished to continue playing it. The League would endeavor to encourage the game amongst boys and it might be well to appoint a committee of non-players to . take charge of the department. It was decided to form a junior league. There is to be no subscription and balls are to bo supplied. The following gentlemen were elected a junior management committee : —-Messrs. Cary, Leggc and McColl. Tbe Secretary was instructed to write to the Auckland League for copies of rules and footballs. Mr. Legge was appointed one of the auditors for the League.

THE LAND BILL. (Waikato Argus.) Judging by the answers given to questions in relation to the Land Bill by Mr. McNab at Te Awamutu on Wednesday, the Government is prepared to baolc down on the Bill, inasmuch that the endowment clauses are to bo struck out, and embodied in another Bill. They recognise, no doubt, that these clauses would prevent the Land Bill proper, getting through Parliament. The Minister was, we believe ,right in contending that a large section of the supporters of both parties favor tho limitation of holdings, provided the limit is fixed at a reasonably high figure. They are also, wo believe, more in favor of bringing about voluntary limitation by means of adequate taxation, than by arbitrarily fixing a value _ or an acreage, above which no mail shall bold. What we mean by an adequate tax is one of sufficient weight to render it unprofitable to bold a largo block of land, and not utiliso it in a very high degree. r f|io imposition of such a tax should satisfy even those, who like Mr. Fowhls, and tho party with which lie is associated, use the parrot cry “Tho land for the people.” As we have often pointed out, so long as the people, retain the power to tax tho land, although, it may nominally belong to the man in whose name it is registered, it is to all intents and purposes the property of the whole people. The principal reason that the freehold is almost universally preferred to tho leasehold is that tile freeholder is freo from rack rental, which the leaseholder never is. Although the day on which his rent may he raised may be distant; it is as certain to come as the sun to rise in the morning. Had the endowment clause been absent from the Bill of last session. It would not have been so strongly objected to. Tho proposal to endow certain public services could only be interpreted to be a rqumlaboqt way of enacting that none of t]ie remaining Crown lands should be held on freehold. Those who advocate the right to the freehold do not wish that the leasehold should lie withheld from those who prefer that form of tenure. They do contend, however, that every lease should have a purchasing clause. The Endowment Bill which Mr. McNab promises, would prohibit freehold altogether as regards Crown lands. We are inclined to the belief that this Bill will never find its way to the table of the House, arid if it does, for the sake of nominally carrying out promises, that it will be withdrawn, as the Land Bill was last session.

Ccnforenco, Emigration to the Colonies, Naturalisation, the Method of Ordering Ammunition from this Country.

“It is probable that the Army Council and tlio Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may also desire to bring forward certain subjects. These will, however, como under the general head of Defence, and I have felt that it will be the best' to give precedence to the subjects which the colonics themselves have suggested for consideration. I trust that it may bo possible in the time available to give some attention to all those subjects, but in considering what the agenda will be, it has been necessary to make some analysis of them, and to como to some conclusion as to the order in wiheh tlioy should stand ; and I have thought it right to place first among the subjects suggested by the colonies those put forward by all the three colonies which have made suggestions; then to consider those suggested by more than one, and then those suggested by the colony only. This principle must, of course, be followed with duo rogard to the intrinsic importance of tbe subjects themselves and to the probability of arriving at definite results by discussion. All the throe colonies have put forward the Following subjects: Imperial Council, Preferential Trade, Defence. To these may be added Emigration and Naturalisation, proposed by His Majesty’s Government, and also suggested by some colonies. “The question which I should desiro to discuss at tlio outset is that of tlio future constitution of the Conference, including the proposals for an Imperial Council which were put forward by my predecessor, and are supported in tlio resolutions proposed by Australia and New Zealand. The question of Preferential Trade covers the subject suggested in the ninth Now Zealand resolution, viz., the legislative powers of the colonies in the matter of mutual preference.” Defence, Lord Elgin thinks, is. a question which it is obviously desii - able to consider fully at the Conierenco; and as regards emigration, it will bo possible to consider the Australian resolution in connection with the emigration question. The above five subjects—Constitution of Future Conferences, Preferential Irado, Defence, Naturalisation and Emigration Hi ay bo regarded as primary subjects for consideration. Other subjects suggested by two colonies are: The General Question of Judicial Appeals, Uniform System of Patents with which merchandise marks may be included. And the following subjects are suggested by Australia:— Imperial Stamp Charges oil Colonial Bonds, Extension of British Interests in the Pacific, Profit on Silver Coinage, Decimal Currency, Metric System.- By New Zealand only: Reservation of Bills, Western Pacific Islands, Universal Penny Postage, Reciprocal Admission to Certain Professions. By Cape Colony: Double Income Tax, Extension of Imperial Cables, Shipping Questions, as, e.g., Rebates, Control of Combinations, Subsidies.

A bullet from a pea rifle entered a first-class pasenger carriage of tbe first North train between Chaney’s and Stewart’s Gully bridge. The bullet came in at the door-way and passing a newsboy who was going through tbe car. glanced off at a window, which it cracked. Tbe bullet could not be found. It is supposed, it came from tlio rifle of someone shooting rabbits in tbe adjourning country.

Tbe Otago Daily Times says: “If we may judge from much that was said during the progress of tbe Labor Conference, and from the proceedings at the annual meeting of the Independent Political Labor League, we shall not have to wait long before a rule nisi for tbe dissolution of the alliance between the Ministerial and Labor parties in the colony is issued.”

A prominent goat breeder on tlio Rimutakas is doing a thriving trade at present by supplying goats to unsuccessful goat hunters. The method was observed the other day. First the owner proceeded to muster the goats into a corner of a grassy paddock ; then the goat hunter picked out his goat, the owner caught it and proceeded to tie it up to a post whilo the other went for his gun, and, taking up his position within twenty yards of tlio animal, made a very successful shot, dropping his goat at the first shot, with a bullet through the brain. Then the carcase was dressed and the hunter proudly deposited it in the hack of his trap and proceeded on the journey to Wellington, where, I have no doubt, he will beguile his friends with a thrilling tale of how lie shot the goat.—News,

Writing nuclei' the heading, “The' Doom of the Windjammers,” a recent American paper Bays:—“The triumph of steam over sails was never more completely exemplified than in the fact that a steamer has jiist been fixed to load a gonoral cargo in flip Tyne for San Francisco via. London. Tho steamship Kalibia has been so fixed, and will load in tho Tyne towards tho end of January. She will be tho first steamship that has ever been chartered from the Tyne for such a voyage, and it will he extremely interesting to see how the trip works out financially There (g-p very few longer voyages t|iat it is possible to perform on this planet than that from the Tyne to San Francisco, the •' steaming distance being 15,000 miles. Of course the way has been paved by the substitution of steaiji for said vessels in the trade yvith the west coast of South America—a trade which in three or four years has been completely revolutionised, steamers Jiotycarrying tlie great bulk of the coal cargoes which are now shipped to Chili and Peru; b,ut all the same, a steamer voyage direct tb'Saii'"Francisco will be a sufficiently remarkable . performance to excite general attention. Jf it Is successful one wonders what will become of the windjammers which have hitherto had a monopoly of the carrying trade between Europe and the Californian city. There will be little left for them to do, and the day of thoir extinction will be at hand.”