Squandering Money.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 295, 4 July 1929, Page 1

Squandering Money.

WAIKATO’S TOURING PARTY. Not content with entering on a tour of five matches when there was a resolution on the books confining it to three the Waikato union on Friday went a step further in squandering its funds when it decided to send a party of 24 on tour. The secretary’s estimate of the cost was given at £2O per man, which means that had the party been con- i fined to 20 players and a manager

approximately £6O would be saved. In connection with the actual tour the sending of the selector is the action most subject to criticism but it is only in accord with the general inclination cf some members of the Waikato union’s management committee to take little notice of future requirements and to enter on somewhat fruitless tours. If Waikato got its “ away ” matches repaid these tours might be profitable investments, but experience has proved I that some of the unions visited are | either not in a position to travel or | work to the policy of putting matters right at home first. Since 1921 Waikato has never had more than a £2OO balance at the end of a season. Each time it has got within distance of this amount it has undertaken a tour which has eaten up the balance, sending the union’s funds to zero again. [ On Friday night the treasurer inI formed the committee that the union’s balance was approximately £3OO. The tour was estimated to cost £450, of which £l5O will be covered by amounts promised by the unions visited. The Kavvke’s Bay union has promised an additional £SO, to be returned by Waikato later in the season. Assuming that the New Zealand union makes, a grant of £SO the nett cost of the tour then will be £250, leaving a credit of £SO to the Waikato union. Further-away engagements to be kept this season are matches in Auckland and Faeroa (versus Thames Valley) and versus the Eanfurly Shield holders. The

only home matches are mid-week fixtures against Hawke’s Bay and Wellington. Summing up the position, no other conclusion can be come to than that at the end of the season Waikato will be in no better position than it has ever been to foster home football or to be able to afford to assemble the players for coaching purposes. The union has no assets other than its bank balance, so that its mana compared with the other major unions in New Zealand is very low.

An instance of where money could be spent with advantage internally recently came before the union in an application from Te Awamutu for a grant towards the cost tff a visit to the new Taupiri union. Waipa is in low water financially through travelling extensively during the past two seasons. The Waikato union decided to grant £3 towards the transit cost of £6. Waipa returned the cheque, stating that it could not conveniently finance the balance. The result is that Taupiri’s first home sub-union match is still in the air.

Summing up the position, it would seem that Waikato is still without a strong guiding head. Apparently the idea in Hamilton insofar as the Waikato union is concerned is that it shall live from hand to mouth. It is on the surface that any scheme for improvement in finance will have to come from the country unions.