SCULLING.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13904, 1 December 1910, Page 7

SCULLING.

» PRESENTATION TO R. ARNST. S Richard Artist, the sculling champion, leaves Christchurch this evening for Wellington, whence he sails to-morrow, by the Ulimaroa. for Sydney. Upon arrival in Sydney he will go into training for the bis handicap to he rowed towards the end of February, in which he will be a competitor. Apart from this race he has no definite plans for the future, but states that he is prepared to accept the first challenger that offers himself. . A number of admirers gathered in the Commercial room of the Occidental Hotel last evening for the purpose ot making a presentation to Arnst, prior to his departure. There were about twenty gentlemen present, and Mr J. H. Parker presided. . . In opening proceedings, Mr Parker said that when Arnst arrived here, he (Mr Parker) was met by several leading citizens, who thought that the rowing clubs should take the matter up. Mr Lowrie circularised tho rowing clubs, and put the matter before them. No reoly arrived, and it was merely by a side wind that they had heard that the rowing clubs were not going to do anything. The clubs were quite within their rights in that; but the least they could have done was to send a pohto reply. (Hear, hear.) Much valuable time was lost in this way, and as ift was then too late to work up an official recognition by the citizens, a number of friends subscribed funds for a presentation. _, Dr. Thacker said it had been stated in the papers that Arnst had said ho would go where the most "boodle was. But Arnst never said any such thing. What he did say was that ho supposed he would have to go where the best inducements were, where ho would got the best match. He never mentioned "boodle," and no man thought less of "boodW' than Arnst did. Dr. Thacker went on to say that this rowing club business cave him mal-de-mer. When he offered £50 for a sculling match at Akaroa. a leading man in rowing circles in Christchurch came and asked him why ho did not give the prize for amateurs. That man was down on Arnst because he was a professional, and yet he was after tbe money himself. As far as recognition by Christchurch went, it was not to bonded warehousemen and such that Arnst looked, but to the ordinary men, about town. He (Dr. Thacker) would never give a "bean" to rowing in Christchurch as far as amateurs were concerned. Mr Parker, on behalf of the subscribers, then presented Arnst with a leather suit-case, bearing the following subscription:—"World's champion sculler. Presented to Richard Arnst by Christchurch admirers, November 30th, 1910." In responding, Arnst said that if proper arrangements could be made, he would be only too pleased to give Barry a race on the Thames. Arnst then presented Mr Lowrie with a kar.oss, a rug made of skins of the silver-tailed fox of South Africa, as a token of his appreciation of Mr Lowrie's work as secretary to his (Arnst's) supporters.