FOOTBALL TRAVELLING EXPENSES

Shannon News, 3 September 1926, Page 4

FOOTBALL TRAVELLING EXPENSES

mi uii enueavuur tu improve footpad in me urea cuntruneu i>y uie i'AUi'’Uwiit!Uua Miiyijy liiteaict Uouncu, me Aviunugemem, uoinmiuee met re•presemauves Irom hui iviai, utam, muaau, Soutnern united arid Oiukiiviaun college uues at utaki last mgiit.

me committee feels tiiat Uie distance between tiie northern and souiiiein limns ot tile district is too great to enable teamis to travel at a reasonable cost.' A case is known where une team liad to ,pay £B, in order to l'uinl a fixture, resides wiiicli there was also a large amount of time spent in travelling; The committee invited suggestions from these clubs, as to the aavisamhty of forming a southern division having its own competition. To do this a local committee in the south would be necessary. This, with its attendant responsibilities should rouse both' interest and' enthusiasm among the. players and supporters of the Rugby code south of Levin.

Representatives from liie various qlubs present at the conference ware: Messrs A. Day, C. Nees 'and W. Dalzell (Manakau), J. McGill, E. Mosley, H. Nicholson and H. Lynch, and R. J. Johnson (Otaki), W. R. VVULs (Native College), C. V. Reeve, R. Mac Lean and W. Mowhray (Parapaiaumu), W. Widdas arid W. Trotter (Kuku), J. J. O’Connor, J. Casey, J. Rimrner, W. Moynihan (Management Committee), Mr W. H. Wills occupied the chair.

Mr J. J. O’Connor, chairman of the Ilorowhenua Rugby District Council, outlined the reasons for convening the meeting. He said that the Management Committee had tried very hard during the past few, months to place football on a sound foundation, but it . must be admitted that football in the southern district had not progressed as in the northern area of the Union. It had been hoped to devise a scheme which would overcome ; the difficulty and stimulate football in the south, but ‘with little result. It was decided that the best course would be to call together all clubs interested. It was essential that a boundary be decided upon straight away, or the schmie would be. nullified. There was a case where players in the southern portion of the Union had played fu- northern clubs. Mr A. Day said-that if a divisional scheme were adopted it wjuld result in the encouragement of football among the younger player c The present method had been the means of breaking up junior teams in the southern area owing to heavy travelling c° sts - , .. Mr E/ Mosley said that one of the chief troubles affecting -.otlli Otaki and Paraparaumu had been the poaching of players for i > elusion in other teams.

Some discussion . ensue*., it being resolved, on the motion of Mr A. Day, seconded by Mr H Nicolson, that, the name of the soutiem division shall be “The Horow '.enua Southern Division Fixture O mmittee.

The question then arose, is to what should constitute the terri ory co ed by the Southern Do sion. Mr Mosley said that most ef County team had to Tie - but they were, more or lets, a musu

room club, and could quite easily be absorbed by Weraroa and/or southern teams. , There could be a northern and southern County team. ■Mr Kimmer concurred with Mr Mosley. It was very desirable that both .ends of the Union—northern' and southern should be of equal strength. (Hear, hear.) Mr O’Connor said that Mr Anderson had been questioned as to the probability of there being two County teams. Mr Anderson had stated that, after Christmas, most of the work would he /done in the southern end of the Union, and that 50 or 60 more men would be employed. It seemed, then, more than possible that County would have ample provision for . fielding two teams. On the motion of Mr li. Mosley, seconded by Mr J. McGill,-it was resolved that players residing in the southern division must play in, the competition in that district, provided teams of their grade are taking part in the southern division competition. * , “Domicile,” remarked Mr Casey, “is a somewhat intricate question. According to law domicile is described as the place where a person has his home. If you can get the locality of a player’s home, you then have his domicile. A man working for five days a. week in a certain locality, and then 1 “baching” or going home for the week-end, his parents’ place would, in my opinion, constitute his domicile, and” where he would be entitled to play." The subject developed into a more or less contentious argument, ‘ resulting in the matter being left in the hands of the Horowhenua Rugby District Council. i The committee will be formed from clubs -in the southern division, to which each club shall appoint two members whilst the public schools have the right to elect one member representing all the schools. In conclusion Mr O’Connor assured the meeting that all the foregoing recommendations would receive full consideration' from the Management Committee, who would discuss the points raised. He thanked them for such a full attendance, and he was positive they achieved much as the result of getting together 1 and discussing things in such a * broadminded way. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.