FOOTBALL IN FOXTON.

Shannon News, 2 September 1927, Page 4

FOOTBALL IN FOXTON.

„ THE SECESSION MOVEMENT. PUBLIC MEETING FAVOURS" JOINING MANAWA-PU. (Foxton Herald) The public meeting convened by the Foxton Football Club, for the purpose of discussing what action Foxton should take with regard to its connection with the Horowhenua Rugby Couni cil was held in the Masonic Hall on Monday evening, and was attended by representative gathering of upwards f one hundred ladies and gentlemen. Air. 11. Hutchins, president of the ■'’oxton Football Club, read the adverisement convening the meeting and moved that Mr. J. K. Hornblow preside. • On taking the chair Air. HornHow apologised for the unavoidable alienee of the Mayor (Air. AI. E. Perieau), owing to an indisposition, and mad a letter of apology from Air. F. A.'Mason (headmaster of the District High also unable to be pre,ent.

r l?he Chairman outlined the history if Rugby football in Foxton, and stat'd that the game had been played there before Levin was on the map and when Palmerston North was a small village. In course of time the Mnnnwatu football area had be?n defined and that area included • the’ Manawatu County and that district bounded by the Manawatu, River. About twenty years ago, owing to travelling difficulties, a sub-union had been formed locally which included Poroutawhao, Foxton, Rangiotu (then 'known as Qroua Bridge),* and Sandon, and for some years this sub-union proved satisfactory. The Horowhenua Rugby Union then came into existence and its boundaries were .defined. Although the natural boundary between Manawatu and Horowhenua was the Manawatu River, by some means or other, Foxton was lifted out of its natural environment and placed in the Horowhenua district and in this connection lie could find no record that Foxton was consulted as to the transfer. Another peculiar feature about this boundary was the fact that within a radius of five miles of the Foxton borough the territory was still in the Manawatu district. This area is so defined in the N.Z.R.U. rule book. Foxton community of interest, it could not be denied, lay t.) the north and cast and not to the south. . Since the inclusion of Foxton borough in the Horowhenua district (the chairman continued) there had been continual pin-pricking, irritation, and dissatisfaction locally. ' Why? Foxton, as pioneers of Rugby in this district rightly expected fair and equitable treatment from the governing body. Had they received it? Foxton had been dissatisfied for years, and three or four years ago public indignation meetings had ben held over the treatment meted out to this end of the district. Interest in ihe game had, to a great extent, been damned by continual local dissatisfac- , lion, with the result that prominent townspeople had lost interest in the j game. Last, year a deputation had waited on the combined Union requesting that Foxton be merged into its natural area, Manawatu, but this had keen deferred and the chairman of the Horowhenua Council (Mr. J. O’Connor) had then asked Foxton to give them another trial. That had been

done and again this year ' conditions were no better and the result had been the calling of the meeting that night. MOTION IN FAVOUR OF NEW AFFILIATION. The following motion was then moved by the chairman and seconded by Mr 11. Hutchins: — "That this meeting of citizens and representatives of Foxton Rugby Football Clubs resolves that, in order to promote the best interests of our national game locally requests the. Horowhenua Rugby Council to take the necessary steps through the Mana. watu-Horowlienua Rugby Union to have the Borough of Foxton included within the Manawatu Rugby Union’s boundary aiul that the following delegates be permitted to appear before th? Manawatu-Horowheuua Rugby Union to give reasons in support of this request, namelv: Messrs M. B. Bergin, J. K. Hornblow, D. Christie, D. R. Barron and G. Alexander; that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Horowhenua Rugby Council and the Manawntu-llorowhe-nua Rugby Union.” Mr F. Robinson: I object to the word "Club-” in that motion. Foxton is a junior club. The Chairman: You can not object to the motion. Are you the Awaliou Club? ‘ J

Mr Robinson: I am speaking on behalf of the Awahou Club. I have the backing of that club and I object to Awahou being included in this motion. Foxton is only a Junior Club. Awahou is the senior club in Foxton. Mr Hutchins said that dissatisfaction had been rife among players and spectators during the season,, a-nd the Foxton Club liad thought it proper that a public meeting be convened to discuss the matter, and it was with the object of getting the feeling and support of the public of Foxton that the meeting had been called.

Mr E. G. Martin challenged Mr Robinson’s legality to site on the Horowhenua Rugby Union as a representative of the club until he proved the financial position, or otherwise of that Club. The speaker contended that no encouragement was given to any chib outside Levin. At the beginning of the present season some of the Foxton Club members had been inveigled into the Awahou Club under the understanding that they would be made “AM Blacks.” Continuing, Mr Martin said' that on no occasion had those players been made 'Use of except to jockey a certain member on to the Horowhenua Rugby Union. It could not be lost sight of that Horowhenua were now squeaking over the treatment they were allegedly getting from Manawatu —and yet they were dishing up the same stuff here! The sooner Foxton got away from Horowhenua the better. On the Union it was just a case of a good time for a few. (Applause).

Mr E. Bryant said he would like to see Foxton stay in the Horowhenua district. Five years ago, he said, an en■deavour had been made to join up with the Manawatu Union and it was then found to be impracticable. If it was impracticable then, it was still so now. Foxton had three delegates on the Union now, and if there was any trouble it lay with the clubs themselves. There had been a growl about rep. matches, but it was the local delegates who had shifted tin? matches to Levin. The growl was with the delegates and not the Union. He was opposed to Foxton

pulling out of the Horowhenua Union

QUESTIONS OF PROCEDURE

Mr Robinson said lie would like to sneak in defence of the Union. There was not one man on the Union who had '.'-•anted to take the rep. matches away i rom Foxton except the local delegates. Mr Robinson also stated that if Foxton tried to join up. with To -Hawaii they would (1) have to get permissionto do so from the Horowhenua Council; (2), obtain the approval ,of the Manawatu Council; (31, take the matter to the Supreme Court of the two bodies. A unanimous vote of the Horowlienua delegates would be necessary at the combined meeting before any alteration could be made. A Voice: And what if they don’t agree ? Mr Robinson: Then the matter would be referred back to - the Horowhenua Council, and probably the N.Z.R.U. and then back to the Horowhenua . Council (laughter).

Referring to the rep. match, Mr Robinson said that he stated at the Union meeting prior to the last rep. match that he was very busy and going away, but if the match was allowed 1o be played in Foxton he would find fifty posts, wire and goal posts and pur everything in! order aficl afterwards take down the fence, posts, etc., and lemove them from the ground if anyone would erect the fence. The Foxlon. delegate at that meeting, said ho had consulted 20 or 30 players and hot one would offer assistance, so the 'natch had been taken to Levin.

Mr R. Hornblow (secretary of the Foxton Club) explained that there was not so much growl over the rep. match as,over, the treatment meted out to the Foxton Thirds. Could Mr Robinson explain anything about that?

Mr Robinson said that he was away from the meeting when the matter was discussed. He knew that his fourths played on the clay that Foxton Thirds defaulted.

Mr J. K. Hornblow, in replying to Ihe motion, said that Mr Robinson had stated that unless the Horowhenua delegates were unanimous the request obtained m the motion would be thrown cut. He could find no such provision in the book of rules. ...

Mr Robinson: It’s not in the rules; it’s in the foundation. ill* Hornblow: Then your foundation must be democratically rotten.

Mr Hornblow, continuing, said it was very strange that Foxton, not having been consulted previously, should be debarred, according to Mr Robinson, from now making a request to be transferred to its natural geographical territory. If such treatment was meted out, then the local governing bodies would be quite within their rights in jcfusing the Horowhenua Council permission to play on any of the local reserves.

r l he motion was then put amb carried, Messrs Robinson and E. Bryant being the only two dissentients. Mr Robinson then attempted to address the meeting amidst interjections, but was ruled out of order bv the chairman.