NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2501, 14 May 1909, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION

ANNUAL MEETING

THE QUESTION OF INSURANCE

[Pun Pkess Association.]

WELLINGTON, May 13. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union was held this evening, Mr. G. F. C. Campbell, president, in the chair. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, Mr. Campbell said that in this and last year there had been losses, and it appeared to him that the tendency was growing of throwing a greater responsibility upon the New Zealand Rugby Union. They had to consider whether the Union would be able to stand the strain in the future. It would be easy to overburden the finances of the Now Zealand Union unless they were careful. With regard to the alteration in the laws> of the game, he thought the action of the Union had shown very good sense. If they once admitted the right of any Union to tamper with the laws of the' game without the approval of the other interested bodies in the Empire, they would soon bo running on their own basis. (Hear, hear.) They should eo-operate with other bodies if they wished an alteration made. There was a constitutional and legitimate way of effecting alterations; and this was in the way suggested by the New Zealand Rugby Union, by getting representation on tile International Board and seeing that the representations were brought forward in a proper manner. If they did not get sufficient support at first, they should wait until they did, as if a cause was good, in the course of time their cause would prevail. (Applause). Mr. Coffey wished to know what was meant by the entry in the statement of accounts of the British team’s tour of the item “legal expenses £342 5s 6d.” The treasurer explained that £142 3s Cd was paid to Mr. P. Hollings, solicitor, Mastorton, and £202 2s to Messrs Morrison and McLean, Wellington. The damages in respect to his contract for the case brought by Mr. Watson for damages in, respect to his contract for programmes. ' ‘Replying to "a question, Mr. Dixon said that a letter had been received from the New South Wales Union, in I’eply to a suggestion that a conference be held with a view to concerted action respecting the laws of the game. This intimated that, as a movement was now being made by the Rugby Union to consider the suggested amendments to the laws of the game, submitted by Queensland, New “Zealand and New South Wales, it was inopportitne to hold a conference such as had been suggested. No replv had been received from Queensland*. Mr. IF. H. Campbell (Otago) said the New Zealand Union bad not carried out certain alterations to the rules which had been decided on at the October special meeting. He had then seen that certain alterations? agreed on at that meeting as imperative for the good of the game •would be very slowly carried out if the matter was left in the hands of the Management Committee wf the Union, which' 1 was clearly antagonistic to the proposed amendments. These alterations had not been carried out as the delegates had wished. Whether there was any Northern Union game or not. the rules must be altered in; certain directions. The chairman had said that New Zealand should get representation on the International Board. The speaker knew very well that .they w'ould never get such representation. They should form an Australian Union; and if they could get South Africa in well and good. Mr. Coffey said the visit of the English team was neither a credit to themselves' or the land they came from. New Zealand learned nothing from the team. So far as the finances were concerned there was a great deal of extravagance, which should never have been allowed. The New Zealand Union had been unsympathetic to the proposed alterations of the game by desiring to go to the English Union, a fossilised body, which was never in favor of progress. Mr. Galbraith said he had had a letter, a few days ago, which showed that the English Union was taking steps to call a conference to consider the amendments proposed, not only by the colonial unions but by its own clubs. Mr. Pirani said that no doubt many of them would like to say much about the tour of the British team, hut it was like thrashing a dead horse. The extravagance shown reminded him of the Royal tour of the Duke and Duchess of York when in New Zeal an/1. The Management Committee did not seem to possess a man on it who knew anything of business matters. The tour should have proved that the rules needed alteration, not so much for . New Zealand as for the sake of the poor, deluded youths who were brought out lie re as champion footballers. The speaker then went on to the question of appeal, which, he said, was a farce, ft caused ridicule to be thrown on the Management Committee of every union. In one case a player had committed a. breach of the rules. He was disqualified by his union, and every p’ayer in the district agreed with his sentence. The player appealed, and tho appeal committee upheld his appeal without even revising the rules under which the man was disqualified. Mr. R. Isaacs denied-that the New Zealand Referees’ Association had ever intimated that the Association would not need a donation from the Rugby Union. It had, however, been, decided not to ask for a grant this year, as they thought they would he able to do without it. Every individual of the Union’s Management Committee would admit that they made mistakes, lmt they were made honestly. There was no fake about them. The meeting then considered the report on a proposed insurance scheme, by Messrs W. C. Cargill and A. Humphries.

Mr. Cargill explained tho scheme at length. Speaking on the scheme, on a motion to go into committee, Mr. Cargill said that no one could say how it would work out. The *Uiiion was going into it blindly, and until the system had been.. working for at least a year it would he quite impossible to sav whether it would he a. success or not. In bringing forward his schoniy, lie and his colleagues had suggested a levy of 3s Od a head for every player joining tjm' fund. The Union would subsidise tlie scheme, and in order to do this ,without causing too great a strain on tho Union’s finances, the graref of £2OO for school football' might, be clone away with for one year. Where the .difficulty lay was with re-o-ard to tire claims that might bo made on the fund. It had been impossible to arrive at an average of accidents and ' claims. For instance, the amount paid in insurance by ‘the: Wellington Union averaged. Is. Gil .per injured member Tlie Otago Uiiien paid an 1 average oI 5s per man. dimv.could they have arrived at a satisfactory- average for the whole. Dominion in Uie face op sucli

figures? The speaker suggested that a. start bo made with the scheme, even if tlie benefits were small. If it was found good, the benefits could be increased, and the scheme made quite complete ; and if it was no good it could bo thrown out. Mr. Pirani thought it was wasting time going onto details, if they did not see that they could have a scheme. It would ho better to promote the individual schemes of encli union. They had not arrived at tho stage when they should embark on a general .scheme. In Manawatu a contribution of 2s per player was ample. There was also a surplus. If they adopted a general scheme it would kill local schemes, and then ruin itself 'by the great burden imposed on it. They should seriously consider the .matter from all standpoints. Mr. G. Lusk, speaking from the' aspect of tlie smaller unions, said they could not afford to pay for thej;cheme. It would cost Poverty Bay £45 a year under tlie scheme. Other small unions would bo in the same position. He did not agree with doing away with the school grant and devoting it to the insurance scheme. They could not afford to pay 3s 6d per man per club, as was proi>osed. Several delegates considered that the matter of insurance was a local one. Each- district should have a scheme of its own. Mr. Cargill replied shortly to the opponents of the scheme. He said it Was obvious to him that tho scheme would bo thrown out, hut before that happened lie wished to suggest that at some future date tho Union take into consideration some system of subsidising the smaller unions in tlio formation of schemes of their own. He also thought that there ought to bo some reciprocal scheme by which a player insured by one union would be still insured if he moved to another district. The motion to go into committee was then put and defeated by a large majority. This decision involved tho rejection of the scheme. The following officers wore elected: Patron. His Excellency tlie Governor, Lord piunket; president, Mr. F. Logan (Napier); vice-presidents, Messrs A. EDevore (Auckland), J. Colvin, M.F. (Buffer), M. Vance (Busli), G. 11. Mason (Canterbury), G. Fleming (Hawke s Bay), JAS. Fowler (Horowhcnua), J.\ Manning (Manawatu), R. McCallum (Marlborough). Dr. Andrews (Nelson), F. H. Campbell (Otago), W. B. Miller (Poverty Bay), A. Shirmcliffo (South Canterbury), It. Galbraith (Southland), F. T. Bellringer (Taranaki), W. C. Buchanan, M.P. (Wairarapa), G. Sprigirins .(Wanganui), G. F. C. Campbell (Wellington), D. McKay (West Coast); lion, treasurer, Mr. H. Kelly; management committee, Messrs G. Dixon, J. Laughton, R. Isaacs, G. Lus’k, N. Perry, V. Meredith, N. Galbraith; appeal council, Messrs J. R. Neil A. Campbell, H. Frost; auditor, Mr. Oscar Beni her. „ , , A hearty vote of thanks was passed to tho retiring treasurer. Mr. N. Galbraith, on the motion of Mr. F. 14. Campbell, seconded by Mr. M. P. Slicalian. ■ i • , Several other delegates spoke in high terms of praise of Mr. Galbraith’s' services. , , . Mr Galbraith said that during the time he had hold office he had pleased everybodv apparently but one individual. Anybody who thought that it was possible to get anything out of the New Zealand Rugby Union was an ass. He appreciated heartily everything that had been said of him. Mr. G. H. Dixon said that ho was of the opinion that the Union should express its sorrow at the death ot Robt. Deans, one of the finest footballers who ever lived. Those who had come into contact with Deans held his memory in greatest respect. He proposed that the Union grant the sum of i toward the Deans memorial. The motion was carried.