ROWING CONTROL

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 13 November 1925, Page 11

ROWING CONTROL

AND PROVINCIAL REGATTAS.

DIVERGENCE OF INTEREST.

COAtPLAINTS FROM THE COUNTRY.

Following: the complaint from Hamilton voiced by Mr. W. Brydon, and supported by others, to the effect that country clubs were not well treated by the Auckland Eowing Association, comes a complaint from Whangarei. The latter is a regatta executive, and its particular complaint is that a request for the permit necessary to enable rowing events to be put on at the Whangarei Begatta on January 1 had been subjected to a'great deal of delay in reply. Another complaint was insistence on the use of the word "donations" instead-of the word "prize-money" in stating the conditions for the rowing races. Obviously the people in Whangarei do not understand that the Auckland Rowin" Association, in the matter of the conditions, are only asking that what las been directed by the Xew Zealand Association shall be carried out. The change from the term "prize-money" to that of "donations" was decided on by the New Zealand Rowing Association last year in order to bring the conditions relating to amateur status in rowing into line with that in Australia, thus paving the way for the visit of New Zealand amateur oarsmen to Australia, and for return visits from Australian crews. The Auckland Association had no option but to administer the changed rule •jn that respect.

So far as delay in replying to requests for regatta dates is concerned, Mr. Buckler, secretary of the Auckland Rowing Association, stated to a "Star" representative to-day that the matter was not the mere consideration of one date. All the association had to consider was the interests of rowing club members, iut rowing races at country regattas ■were' so important to the regatta that the association had tried to consider the interests of all the districts. The association had to consider the Tauranga, Whangarei and Russell regattas, which ■were held about the one time. Tauranga had established their date us the day after Boxing Day, and Whangarei suggested January 1, while Russell last year •wanted Boxing Day, and eventually decided on December 29, and this year had applied for December 30. The association had to get the proposals of all three regattas before them prior to coming to a decision as to what were the most suitable dates from the rowing clubs' point of view. Naturally that took a little time, and possibly the decision •which had in view the best interests of Tauranga, Russell and Whangarei was not as acceptable to Whangarei as if the date had been made to suit just Russell and Whangarei without any consideration of Tauranga.

On the matters mentioned by Mr. Brydon, he remarked that these would foe the subject of investigation at the annual meeting nest Thursday, and he Tvae quite satisfied that Mr. Brydon'e statements would be fully refuted. He like to mention, however, that so far from there being any delay in nominating the Hamilton pair for the recent Melbourne regatta, as stated by Mr. Brydon, the nomination had been cabled on the same day that the association got an inquiry from Australia asking if any of New Zealanders desired to be nominated.