RUGBY AND SOCCER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 203, 13 September 1937, Page 6

RUGBY AND SOCCER

Alleged Discrimination By Education Board CL0SING 0F SCHOOLS The opinion that discrinimation between two codes of sport, Rugby and b'occcr, had been shown by the Hawke's Bay Education Board, was exprcssed this morning by Mr J. Btickisnd, president of ihe Hawke's Bay FoolbaJl Association, Ho pointed out that 011 thc occasion ef the visit of the English Hoccer team the board ret'used to allow the schools to close, but has granted this privilege on the occasion of tlie Sprhigboks' visit. "Thc Hawke's Bay Education Board appears to have done a coiuplete about faco in tho matter of aUowing schools to close for the afternoon on tho occasion of tlie visits of sporting teams ot aote to tlie distriet," said Mr Stiek land in a statement this morning. May last the Soccer As&ociation made appiication to the board for the granting of a half-holiday on the occasion cf the English team's visit on May 27, but we were informed that in view of the fact that the schools had only ro-, opened after the vacation, and having rcgard to the shortness of the school time in the last term, the board could not approve of a half-holiday for tbi» event. "Almost at the same tinje membcra of the board and the headraasters wete fuJl of praise l'or the line work that liad been done by the children With their homcwork at home, and it waa generally admitted that about 95 per cent of the children had practically made up all leeway in their studies, so that it could bardly have been on ihe score of lack of schooling that the board made its decision to ret'use our request. "We considered that the occasion was u most important one, for it wn.i the first timo that such a sido had visited Hawke's Bay. Our secretary interviewed Mr G. A. Maddison, chairman of the board, after receiving the reply to our rcpresentations, but again our request was turned down. 1 also interviewed a meinber of the board and asked liim what would be the position when the fcSpringboks came to Hawke's Bay, and lie told me, 'They '11 be trcated just the same as tlie fc'cccer,' 1 underslood that a similar comnient wai. made when our offieial reprcsentationa were before the board. "Now, the other day 1 received, in my capacity as cliairnian of the l'arkvale 8chooi Committee, a circular letter from tlie board expressing approvai of a school holiday for the South Afrlca v. Hawke's Bay match, such grant to be at the discretion of the EcliO'/i committee. This circular came as a big surprise to me, for it is obvious that the board is not treating Rugby thrt same as Soccor. j "In my opinion, it is an insuit discriminate between the two codes, as the Board is so elearly cloing, and £ am very surprised to tliink that there, should be such discrimination."