ON GOING TO EXTREMES.

Shannon News, 18 June 1929, Page 2

ON GOING TO EXTREMES.

(To the Editor). Dear Sir, —I am a firm, believer that the moderate attitude in most controversial questions is the best in the longrun. In most tilings the extreme positions are usually Avrong and inadequate, j The s ilution of the problem is almost invariably to be found in the “halfway’ ’ position, or, as sometimes called, the Aristotelian mean . In the matter of Sunday football, I am a firm be-liA-er in Jetting everyone choose for himself. I do not go to the one extreme of saying “Thou shalt not play football on Sunday,” nor do I go to the other extreme of saying, “Here, vou are, here’s a ground and a football, play and be in the fashion, or do the other thing, if you have the necessary will and porver and moral str.en gth.” I maintain that both these extreme positions are wrong, and not calculated to produce the desired result —which, to my mind, is a man avlio is at once both a tolerant Christian and a keen footballer. Sunday football in itself is not harmful at all, in so far as it does not interfere Avith otherpeople, their worship and their rest. It is quite obvious that last Sunday’s football has upset many people. L have ipoken to many on the subject and all have agreed, some most emphatically that organised football -on Sunday is most undesirable.

I believe in freedom in this matter. Let a man play football if he wants to, provided he does not interfere Avith other people. If he does interfere, either by bad language, noise, or by any other means, then he must not be allowed to do so again. He must play Avhere he dees not interfere with others. That means, most emphatically, that the Domain should not be used for such purpose on Sundays. No respectable Council alloAvs such a thing. The Wellington City Council will not, alloAv any Football Club or anyone else to play matches on the Basin Reserve cr any other of its reserves on Sunday. . • The Shannon Council seems to think the petition of the Church 'ministers a sissy sort of matter. No. sir! It is not. The attitude of the councillors is most deplorable. They seem afraid t? deal with the matter for fear of offending the football club. Sunday organised football must not be alloAved in our Domain. Yours, etc., FREE-WILL.

, A MOTHER’S PLEA. (To the Editor). Sir, —I want to say lioav displeased I am Avith the members of the Borough Council is not stopping the Sunday football matches. Here I am Avith a family of six little children and the only enjoyment- I got the \A*hole week was to take them for an afternoon’s outing in the recreation ground, and iioav the footballers Avill be allowed to play games tlieie and invite teams and make it so unpleasant that- I cannot lake my little children there during the football season. If the members of the Borough Council and the Mayor had any heart at all they Avould have thought of the mothers and children; but now any mother who wants to bring up he.- children decently cannot go with them into the park on a Sunday on account of the bad language that is sometimes heard there. Instead of the park being a pleasant place for the children on a Sunday the Council has practically handed it over to the footballers Avhile we have to Avander about the roads. —Yours iruly, MOTIIER-OF-SIX. RUGBY UNION CALLEb ON.

(To the Editor)

Sir, —As a new arrival in your town and as an old footballer I have been somewhat grieved not to say disgusted at the very low state the grand old national game has reached in this borough and especially so when I read the account of a Ministers’ deputation to the Council to have certain practices stopped. Those ministers were representing a very large .section of the people of the town and they had a right to have their request treated with greater respect. I may state that what I have seen on various occasions, regarding footballers and their followers in this town makes me almost feel ashamed to acknowledge that I ever played the game. Is it true thar unseemly behaviour took place after a certain Sunday match and that liquor was part of the refreshments? If so, what are Ihe local police doing in the matter? If the Mayor and Councillors encourage such behaviour among our young men how can they hope one constable to keep this town in anything like order. The noises, yells and cheers that issue from the recreation grounds on a Sundaj r make this a very undesirable town to live in, and travellers passing through it on a Sunday afternoon can only broadcast unsavoury reports about its sporting public. This Sunday play should be a matter also for the Rugby Union. The game is being debased and lowered in the eyes of all decent people and supporters of it will quickly withdraw their patronage if it- continues. It is up to the responsible Rugby officials in this town to put a stop to Sunday play and they will earn the everlasting gratitude of hundreds of citizens who have to listen to the noises of football matches on Sundays. If the members of the Borough Council are too weak to deal with the question, or are lacking in knowledge of what is right or wrong, then those officials'who have the welfare cf the game at heart should do so. Trusting that an abler pen than mine will take up the matter. —I am, C C ’’ OLD FOOTBALLER.

Council in regard tj a request from the ministers of the A r arious Chureii bodies to have organised football matches prohibited on Sundays in the public recreation grounds. By its decision the Borough >Coune*. has given full light to the football clubs to arrange matches to be played on Sundays; and these on the only recreation ground in the. toAvn. I Avish first to state that I am not aa riting at the request of any chui-cb body or minister, but as one of the citizens of Shannon, and one whose home is in the A-icinity of the grounds referred to. I haw no objection Avhatcver to Sunday sport, pro Added other people- are not disturbed, and the sportsmen dc not become public nuisances. One loves to se our manly felloAvs exerting- their physical strength and mental ability in our national sport on Saturdays, but Avhen on Sunday one is desiiing rest and quiet, and that is denied him by the cheers and yells from the foot-ball field, the love for Rugby receives a severe jolt. I am sure that I am voicing the opinion of a great many j esidents of Sha.mion when I say that these Rugby matches are getting beyond a joke. And might I ask, what right has.the football club to monopolise the recreation ground on a Sunday’? Surely our wives and children have some right tc be considered, and in this hard-AVorking community Sunday is the only day of the week when they have a chance of a feAv hours of quiet in our only recreation ground, and uoav even that is denied them by the action of a Borough Council AA'hich is too Aveak to say no! to a feAv footballers whose votes might Aveigh someAvhat heaA'ily at the next election. I cannot think, in 1 coking OA'er the names of the Council, that such a body of men, our “city fathers,” Avho are expected to be men of integrity, honourable and worthy, cau 1 conscientiously feel that they have done the right thing. They have certainly satisfied a few footballers, but have mightily offended a A ery large section of the community. It is a disgraceful thing that a town of this sizq, ranking as a Borough, Avith a Mayor, at the head of affairs, and from Avhc-m avc expect a lead, and upon Avhose action the town AviU be judged by visitors and outsiders, should stilt alloAv the day of rest to be disturbed by a set of rowdy footballers. It was i>ad enough when football practices Avere held on the Domain, but uoav that it has extended to organised matches it is about time all football play on Sundays Avas stepped. If the footballers Avant- to play, let- them do so by all means but in a place Avheie they Avill not disturb hundreds of people by. their nerve wracking noises! I - 'trust .the citizens Avho have suffered long, Avill not let the matter drop, but push ahead until the nuisance ceases.—-I am, etc., VICINITY.

THE MAYOR'S RESPONSIBILITY.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Please allow me space to make public my views and Avliat, 1 know to be the views of a very large section of the people of Shannon, in reference to the Sunday football nuisance in this toAvn. Evidently the Borough Council, with the exception of tAvo members arc quite satisfied to alloAv organised games to continue ai d the rowdyism to continue much to the annoyance of these people living near our local Recreation Grounds. Most hard Avorking prople look forAvard to enjoying a quiet afternoon on Sunday, but for a long time past the noise coming from the footballers has killed any hope of peaceful Sunday afternoons. I do not knoAV of any other toAvn in N.Z. Avjhere Isuch a state of Sunday annoyance would be allowed to exist, and Avith the exception of ,lavo members, the Borough Council has given its consent to alloAv it to continue. It is' difficult indeed to imagine that a Mayor and councillors of a “full blown” borough such as Shannon could have the temerity to prevent a few footballers disturbing the peace of hundreds of the- citizens. The playing of tennis and golf Avas cited as examples of Sunday sport by certain councillors, but it must be remembered that these games do not lead to the roAvdyism of football. -The Mayor himself shov/ed a very spineless attitude in “sitting on the fence,” Avhile one other member voiced his opinion against Sunday play and voted for it. Let me tell the councillors that they need not be afraid of losing their seats at the next election by ridding the toAvn 1 of this public nuisance; rather Avould they strengthen their positions, as-the peace loving citizens far outnumber those who desire this state of things to continue.

Football practice on Sundays was bad enough, but now that organised matches are permitted the name of Shannon, and the councillors who allowed it must sink to a very low level in the eyes of our neighbouring towns and boroughs. We no longer live in a bush village where civilization is in its infancy; but in a Borough, boasting a Mayor and councillors, and we are grieved to see that the Mayor, our chief magistrate, did not champion the request of the ministers to have Sunday football stopped. From him we expect a lead, and here he has failed dismally. Already I have heard the question asked, “And wbo is your Mayor to encourage such conduct in your town?” In respect to our dear old “city father” I avoided answering the question. We as peace loving peo* pie should insist on this nuisance be.ing stopped and hope that the long suffering public will take further steps in the matter.—l am, etc., 1 PEACE-LOVER,