THAMES NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5997, 5 February 1881, Page 5

THAMES NEWS.

THE THAMES BOAT AT THE AUCKLAND REGATTA.

[FROM OUR OWX CORRESPONDENT.] Gk.uiamstowx, Friday. Considerable dissatisfaction exists here at the manner in which the Thames crew were treated on the occasion of pulling the Champion Four-oar Ontri.ger Race on Monday last. Visitors from here who were present at the race, state that the arrangements at the starting point were manifestly unfair to the visiting crews, and even had the water been perfectly smooth in all parts of the harbour alike, the position of the Thames boat was such, that its crew would necessarily have had to row a considerable distance further than the Auckland crew. The startfor the race was also delayed nearly an hour and a-half after the advertised time, during which the visiting crews were out in their boats, which were constantly shipping water, while the Auckland crew were permitted to le'surely go on board the committee's steamer and empty their boat before starting. The starter was not the advertised starter for the Auckland Regatta, and the starter's boat was placed so near the Auckland boat that the visiting crews were placed at great disadvantage at the moment of starting. Another canse of complaint is that the crews were not allowed to draw for places as usual, the drawing being done by the Regatta Committee without the knowledge of the crews, who were not informed of the position they had to take until almost the moment of starting. If all is true that is said about the manuer in which this race was conducted, the Regatta Committee ought, in common fairness, to make an enquiry into the owv?a.viftfeajices A so as to provide against any repetition of the~sTirr:?4n ] fiiture contests. It is very unlikely, however, ~tit.?.t. a_ Thames crew will ever be got together agailT *r compete against an Auckland crew at Auckland. The Thames crews have always complained that when a race actually took place they were invariably treated unfairly on Auckland water. The complaints on this occasion, however, are not from one source only, but are very general.

THE POST-OFFICE. On Monday next the Post-office will be removed from Mary-street, Shortliind, to the Government Buildings at Grahamstown. This is a change that ought to have taken place long ago, and will prove a great boon to the business people in Grahamstown. Under the old management it frequently occurred that the mail which reached the Thames the night previous was not delivered in Grahamstowu until half-past 10 in the morning, and when it was a largo one it would be 11 before some of the letters reached their destination. To business people this was a source of considerable annoyance. The present alteration will remove all this.