FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 257, 28 March 1914, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

! NEWS AND NOTES. The majority of the clubs in Taranaki have held their annual meetings by now, and their reports and balance sheets reveal for the most part a very satisfactory state of affairs and very hopeful prospects lor the coming season. liltham, however, strikes a discordant note. The wearers of the black-and white, who have had a hard struggle to keep afloat dnring the past two seasons, appear to have now given up the ghoßt, and are absolutely defunct. This is a pity. It was hoped that the talkbetween the club committee and the Union officials after the championship play-off at Eltham last year might have infused fresh life into the club, but apparently it has not done so. The. dual holiday and difliculty of travelling (Eltham being at the extreme end of either the northern, or southern division) appear to have been the main causes of Eltham's downfall.

Prospects in the Northern division appear bright, particularly in the Saturday division, which, with the inclusion of Moturoa, and the strengthening of the other team, promises to be very interesting. Ever since its inception, interest in the Saturday competition has been increasing. This is manifested by comparing the clubs' gate receipts. The standard of play lias also improved. Clifton has dropped a bomb-shell into the Thursday camp by going over to the Saturday division. This will mean reconstruction in the north end, and will prove a knotty problem for the Union. Only Stratford and Tukapa now remain in the Thursday competition. The district may be re-organised by including Hawera, allowing the four clubs away from the line to remain in the Southern division. The fact that the Hawera holiday is held on Wednesday, however, would make this arrangement awkward. Tukapa may come into the. Saturday division. This would be. unsuitable for .Stratford. Whichever way the matter is looked at, it ia an unfortunate position and more than ever emphasises the necessity for a universal Saturday holiday.

The Referees' Association would gladly welcome additional members. Surely in a province, that has produced so many giants of the game there should be some enthusiasts available for an hour or two a week. Of course, referees have not in the past received the encouragement they should from players, particularly from members of the beaten team, who are usually prone to blame the referee for their own faults, and it is extremely difficult to find men who are .prepared to take uj) such a thankless billet. In the past two or three years the duty has devolved on the same three or four gentlemen, some of .whom have had to referee a couple of matches on a Thursday as well as one on Saturday, often at considerable personal inconvenience. Complaints, too, were rife that in the third junior matches last year unqualified men refereed. This, however, could not be helped, as qualified referees were not available, and some one had to take the whistle, or else the visiting teams would have had a fruitless journey. If each club would nominate only one referee the difficulty would be overcome.