AQUATICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 128, 30 May 1914, Page 16

AQUATICS.

Sir Thomas LLpton's latest challenger for the America Cup. Shamrock IV, was launched on Tuesday. A metal and frame wood skin has been selected for .the eha.lenger. the latter being of mahogany, as previously stated. The mast 'will be 'hollow a.nd mad-a of wood, the largest ever built. It is definitery stated that the yacht will have a centreboard. The Henley Regatta Committee has informed the Australian rowing representative that the Commonwealth crew cannot competp because it does not belong to a club which is affiliated to a union or federation having an aegreement with the Henley Regatta Committee. The rowing correspondent of an English exchange, ir. commenting on the matter, says:—l have known for some weeks that negotiations had been procepding between a well known representative of the Commonvrealt.lt and the Henley stewards, with a view to obtaining the necessary permission for an all-Austra-lian crew to competp at Henley. Although no official information has been forthcoming, I have good reason for believing that a number of proposals were submitted to the Henley Committee, but presumably none of these have been entertained. Australia, in common with Canada, and probably other countries, feel that they are at a disadvantage when competing against a Leandcr eight at Henley, and the object of the recent negotiations has apparently been to remove the supposed disadvantage. Furthermore, the question of expense is an all-important one, so far as the Australians are concerned, and it speaks well for their good sportsmanship that they arc so keen upon competing at Henley on future occasions. If, however, they could have arranged for, Hay an all-Australian club to secure the necessary agreement with the Henley committee, that would have enabled them to draw members from a wider area, and thus lessen, to a certain extent, the pressure of the financial strain, The Henley committee, however, have not seen their way to open the door further to "foreign" competitors, f believe one of their reasons for refusing to entertain the. proposal was that if it wprp adopted it might tend to die-courage competition .among the En^-li^ j8 Hicges.