Our Stratford Page

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 213, 7 March 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Page

j Stratford, Wednesday.

j POLITICAL.

PBESENTATION TO MR. J. B HINE, M.P. Arrangements are well forward for the presentation to Mr. J. J3. Hine, M.P.. from his supporters in the Stratford electorate. The presentation will be made at a social gathering in the Town Hall, the old idea of banquetting a member having been rendered unfashionable with tho advent of women's franchise and active women's election'committees. The date has not been fixed yet, but this will be arranged to suit the convenience of Mr i Massey, the leader of the Opposition' Party, who has promised to be present. Invitations have been extended to other members of the Reform Party, and the function will be the occasion of a big i Opposition "rally."

FOOTBALL. TARANAKI RUGBY UNION. The annual meeting of delegates to the Taranaki Rugby Union will be held at Stratford on the 28th inst. The balancesheet is now ready for audit, and the details are as follow: Receipts.-—Balance at Isf March, 1911, £IOB 6s lid; balance of accounts, Saturday Association, 4s 7d; New Plymouth Sports Ground Committee, refund of interest and loan instalment, £57 19s 7d ; Bayly Memorial (picture entertainment), £3 ss; voluntary subscriptions, £3 2s; N.Z.R.U., refund of players', delegates', and selectors' expenses, £23 Is; club' subscriptions (£5 15s 6d from previous year), £46 4s; 10 per cent, from gates in club matches, £9 13s; tour account (refund £5, wired from Greymouth £4O), £45; receipts from matches, £402 12s Gd; total receipts £699 8s 7d. Expenditure.—Uniforms, £27 12s 9d; management (delegates to N.Z.R.U., travelling expenses, badges, secretary's' bonus, etc.), £56 14s; N.Z.R.U. (loaninstalment £SO, loan interest £7 Is 3d, subscription £4 15s, travelling expenses £8 Is), £69 17s 3d; Bayly Memorial scholarship, medal, etc., £l6 13 3 6d ; Referees' Association, £l6 lis; sundries, £l9 15s 9d; petty cash, £9 16s lOd; tour account (Wanganui £27 4s, southern tour £330 8s 6d), £357 12s 6d: 1 matches, £lO2 9s 9d; balance at Na-) tional Bank, £ls 3s 3d; total £699 8s 7d.

The balance-sheets of the various matches played give the following figures:—

Taranaki v. North Island touring team, at New Plymouth, gross gate, £5? 4s 9d; profit £23 7s 3d (half of which went to the N.Z.R.U.). Auckland v. Taranaki, at New Plymouth.—Gross gate, £2lB 15s: profit £l4O 12s.

Taranaki v. Maori rep. team.—Groa* takings, £6B 9s; surplus, £47 18s 6d; Maori team's share, £35: profit, £l2 18s 6d.

AVanganui v. Taranaki, at ijawera.— Gross takings, £95 16s; profit, £26 0« 6d.

Southern tour.—Receipts: Southland R.U. £25; West Coast R.U. £6O; refund by manager £5 lis lid; refund insurance £5; total £lO5 lis lid. Expenditure: Train and steamer fares, board, lodging, incidental expenses £365 lis lid; insurance and extra players' expenses paid by union, £ls 8s Cd; total, £3Bl 0s sd. The loss on the tour was thus £285 8s <sd. THE MAYORALTY. So far there is no definite announcement of candidates for the Mayoralty, although the election is not very far off. Mr. Masters has not definitely stated hie intentions, but his action is said to depend largely upon the personnel of "budding Mayors." Dr. Paget is freely mentioned as a likely candidate, but he is understood to have declined nomination. Mr. R. McK. Morison is, however, almost a certainty, if rumor is to -be believed, and the whole of the above suppositions are rumor only. There will be at least one change in the personnel of the council at the end of the present term, for Mr. G. Sangster, a former Mayor, has decided to retire from the council, owing to his-business requiring him to be away from Stratford a good deal.

SPORTS PROTECTION LEAGUE. BRANCH FORMED IN STRATFORD. A meeting was held in the Municipal Chambers to-night with a view of forming a branch of the New Zealand Sports Protection League. Mr. P. Skoglund was voted to the chair, and, in introducing Mr. J. McNaught (organiser of the

I * J From Our Resident Reporter. * * Office: No. 3, York Chambers, Stratford. * ************* -******************

league), spoke ably on the need for the formation of the league, and the great scope for the work of such an organisation. Wherever he had met those interested the project had been well received, and since November seventy branches had been formed, with 70,000 members, which it was hoped would be increased to 250,000. The objects of the league were: (1) To influence public opinion, without regard to party politics, in the interests of sport, so as to enable , the people to amuse themselves in future without molestation; (2) to promote I any alteration of law that may be necesI sary for the better protection of sports \ and'pastimes; (3) to take up-and defend any actions that the council may consider important as test cases; (4) to discourage all malpractices in connection with sport, and to raise its tone whenever it is considered necessary; (5) generally to do whatever may from time ti time seem advisable to extend the I facilities for every honestly conducted I sport, exercise, and amusement. Mr. Mc- ] Naught quoted from a speech by Mr. H. D. Bell, in which he said: "Please bear in mind that we have adopted the obJ jects of the English, Sports League as '■ ours. In England there is no totalisator, I and no local option. Yet in England the i Sports League has proved a great sue-» J cess. So will ours be, if, as I hope, we I can band together the fair-minded men J against the prejudiced, and the good) fellows against dullards." There was no direct antagonism yet, but Ministers' Associations were interesting themselves. That association stood for abolition of the totalisator. As a non-betting man, he believed the machine the best medium for the investment of money on the sport that they loved. This, he said, was the view too, of the N.S.W. Commission which recently took evidence on the matter in New Zealand. Mr. MeNaught instanced the work already done by the league in organising effective resistance to a proposal to put a tramline through the Basin Reserve and to the proposal of the Wellington Harbor Board to deprive the Star Boating Club of the site of its clubhouse and sheds. At Timaru the Ministers' Association had tried to prevent aurf bathing at Caroline Bav after 10 o'clock on Sunday mornings, and they had successfully backed up the opposition to Sunday golf on the Shirley links at Christchurch. Why, at Wanganui, this Ministers'..Association tried to prevent boating on Sunday, and even objected to the Garrison Band playing sacred music at the Town Hall on Sunl days. The league would be able to prei vent this body from curtailing the liberI ties of the people, but it would not | countenance Sunday sport in the way of contests. | Mr. MeNaught quoted Mr. H. D. Bell I with reference to a manifesto issued by the Ministers' Association, stating that 1 the liquor trade was allied to the Sports Protection League, a s follows:—"The firs of the untrue statements against the league is that it is supported by those 1 engaged in the trade in liquor and that the league is concerned to defend that trade. The league has not solicited or received a shilling from that trade, nor has it any concern, direct or indirect, in the continuance of that trade, nor does the no-license question interest it. Many members of the league, myself included, voten o-license, and may vote for continuance. Surely it is absurd to suggest that the Board of Control would have in-, fludid me amongst its members if the\ organisation, which the Board controls,! included in its purposes or aime a defence of the trade in liquos?" Referring to finance, there was no membership fee, but a fund of £2500 for' organisation had been voluntarily contributed, (foe racing clubs had' con-' tnbuted, and he thought all sports bodies should, for the league was formed in the

I ".iwesu ui eveiy iorm oi sport, and was out to protect sport generally. The speaker referred to the trouble many clubs experienced in collecting membership fees, for it was a fact that many men were quite ready to get their sport at the expense of others. It was proposed to establish a forfeit list, so that any person not paying up in one club would hare his or her name "posted'* to every club in every sport in New Zealand, who would refuse to receive him as a member until his dues to his old club were paid. (Hear, hear.) He concluded by emphasising that the movement was not being conducted merely in the interests of racing, but in sport as a whole. Mr. E. A. Osmond moved, and Mr Dan Malone seconded, "that a branch of the league be established in Stratford.— Carried unanimously. Mr Osmond asked if the league was to take any action in the event of candidates for Parliament holding divergent views on the totalisator question one voting for its abolition, and the other for continuance.

Mr McNaught said the league took no part in party politics. In addition to the vice-presidents telegraphed last night, the following were elected by the committee:-Messrs J Thomas, jun, D. S. Glasgow, J McCluggage, ,T. C. Fookes, H. Good, W. 11. Young, Dr. Carbery, W. A. Good, W. G. Malone, W. R. S. Brewer, A Meredith, R. Cottier RL. Faulkner, C. Seabright R. Hogg. L. Klee, H. Crawford, A. Col son F. J. Mackay, and C. Baylv. Messrs. W. P, Kirkwood, D. J. Malone E. H. Young, P. Skoglund, and J. R. L Stanford were elected an executive to offer the position of patron to Mr J f-,? lne - M - P -, and in the event of his trading it impolitic to accept the office the position will he filled by the execuLAWN TENNIS The Stratford Club hopes to play its monow (Thursday) on the local courts. Followmg I 8 the local team: Messrs D Cameron, E. B . Anderson, V. Orwsh-i w Black v m W ? Urtis > and Mack, Mrs. Paget, Miss Orbell Miss Mackay, Mis S D. Mackay, a,d Mrs. S GENERAL NEWS. vis^uSS. 1 ™ °" » Messrs. Harry Sanders, of Warwick by Ihursdays express for Wellington, en hSytrip™ ° n a three ffionths ' meet Manaia at Manaia to-morrow. At present the weather conditions are more suggestive of water polo. An interim meeting of the Stratford Uiamber of Commerce is to be held F6brUary meetil * MME. BERNARD'S PICTUDES. To-night (Thursday) will see a complete change of proernmmp at His Majesty's Theatre, and the fare submitted

is quite up to the high standard of excellence that Mme. Bernard has set herself to maintain. The programme is a varied one, every item being a star of the first magnitude. "The Queen of Nineveh" is a grand' historic, spectacular and dramatic representation. "Gamblers of. the West" provides a high-class American drama, beauties of the New Zealand sea coast will be unfolded in a magnificent film. The other pictures screened are each alone worth witnessing. The prices, will be as usual..