AQUATICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 6

AQUATICS.

At i meeting 01 trie »vaitemata-Uity Boat, ■ ing Club on Tuesday night, Mr. Arthur !['•'••'' Myen, commodore of the club, was presents] -•"'■ by tie members with ? handsomely-illumiu."' : aled address, as a token of the esteem in whici he was held. A very pleasant evening was spent, songs and recitations being ml' b/ sveral of the company. During the evening very feeling reference was made to the | .' late Mr. L. Ehrenfried's memory, and hi' I ~ maay kindnesses towards the crab. -'.v.:-. ■■ ~ " There is a pretty general feeling anupj » members that the annual meeting of fc t Auckland Yacht Club should be held at an'- ,- early date, considering that there is a large V. e amount of important business to be ofjjj. 1 through. Of course, the rules state that°-fc' 1 i! mnual meeting is to be held in October of , ( sad. year, but taking into consideration' lh- ' f itate of affairs at present existing, it (oiJdl • i be as well to have the meeting held this m | ; it an earlier date. At any rate, October u ;1 rather too late in the year, for the meetimj 9 to bo held, inasmuch as it gives the ineomiaj ' r fcmmitteo too little time in which to get mat. f! t sew arranged for the ensuing season..' TMj | e ear the club will have more than ususlia 3 do in the way of providing sport for yacht I men, as, outside of the usual club" races, there ; - 5 b the annual regatta to consider, besides,Mnr-1 i ing the time that the Exhibition is open 3 series of aquatic sports will have to be part ■? . oi the programme, and the club must tale 1 . a prominent par* in carrying them out There is a proposal on foot to amalgamate . th? Auckland Rowing Club and the ,Wai!c-- i ■ 1 m£ta-City Boating Club. The matter his been informally discussed by both chits fa. [ ing the past week, and the proposal i; nw >.'- j in the hands of the committees to consider r , and report to their clubs. There is no doubt v "• 1 that if the amalgamation were to take places: 5 splendid club would be the result, as there are a fino lot of young fellows in both club;, f who, if properly trained, would give a jjcod f< account of themselves. , '..i.* si£ ' ! At the meeting of the Waitemata-City Boating Club on Tuesday night, Mr. A, if, Myers (the commodore) throw out some-.%;';.' ! useful and timely hints to the members a'\ to what they should do to revive the club, and - 1 put it on a sound footing again. There ij;. : ' [ no doubt that the club bad a splendid record -. " in the past, but it has gone back consider-' • ' ably during the past two or three years, Tbi?,; '-■ lam sure, is not on account. of a lack o!W-. 1 interest on the part of Mr. Myers and otto'- ' gentlemen (particularly the late Mi.'L,-: ' Ehrenfried), who have been always ready.'jnd:! . willing to .assist the finances of the. club,, but ! ' may be set down to the fault of the member, themselves, in failing to pay up their sub-;- - scriptions; and for not going in for a sjste-'.'-1 matic course of practice. With plenty oi the right material, which the club possesses, ! there is no doubt whatever that, if the mem-1 bers were to set energetically to work Sti keep it up, the <lub would come to the fore;;. , and take up a premier position in local rowing circles. The first tiling to be done to-' -': •■ wards this end is the election of a strong;,-. and vigorous working committee, and, as lie; annual meeting of the club is to be held , shortly, it is to be hoped that members mil | 1 seriously consider the matter, as unless some-;/ thing is dons before the next season open Ik | club will surely go further back both anil-'.| , cially and numerically. <• .'•" i By cable from London- this week it.ii learned that anotbei British yachtsman' las; determined to make another . bid L for, the <;-. America Clip. Tho latest "Eiohmond in tie | , field" is Sir Thomas J. Lipton, and the American Club has accepted his challenge. . The yacht to compete is now under course •;"-• of construction, and, in accordance with the ;■ rules attached to the race, will have' to b' sailed over to Now York. It is to be hoped ■ that during the next competition '-.inert? ,-•■ will be an absence of the bickering andJieatt-.K- , burnings which W3re such a conspicuous feature when Lord Dunraven took his yach*;. Valkyrie 111. over to compete against the Defender. ;■.>'." Mr. F. J. O'Meara has resigned the cap-';' taincy of the Auckland Rowing Club, and.; has been replaced by Mr. 0. R. Gooch. Mr. V O'Meara has been a most energetic and painstaking captain during the time that.he his -'■ held office, and, were it not for the fact that, his private business debarred him from again j accepting nomination, he would have been reelected. Mr. Gooch, bis successot, has ; '- taken a good deal of interest in the affairs g of the club during the past year, and I hart no doubt will make a most excellent captain. He has a good deal of tac' and judgment,"'. and, if he is cordially supported by the mem- ,; bers, the club is almost sure tc take tip }..'.' prominent position in local rowing affaire in ; the forthcoming season. '''-""'Y?-:'; At the smoke concert of the Auckland Yacht Club, hold some'time since as a Wind--. up of the season, Mr. M. Niccol, wheocea- ' pied the chair on the occasion, threw out several valuable hints to the club t- V mak*;." approaches to the Harbour Board for .1 boat. j harbour and other conveniences for the club- \ So far, the ?lub has not made a mare » tho direction indicated, which seems to. he a great want of foresight on the part of U» ;•■■■ committee of the club. The position ■rhri Mr. Niccol occupies as chairman '-, of 'be v : Harbour Board should surely be a 'sufficM'; guarantee that any application from -the club ~ would receive full consideration, and ka« |: bis support; but, unless the club itself mass I \ advances, it is no' supposed that the Board g will do anything. I trust that the matte ; will occupy the serious attention of the club* • committee at an early date, and a letter be sent ill to the Board, asking for what concesaoiJ;-. are deemed necessary. At the annual meeting of the Auckland • ; : Bowing Club, held this week, I was pleaded | to see such an enthusiastic spirit displayed.. | by the members present, and, if the .saw. -.' spirit is continued in the work of the c-««>; ' during the next season, there can be I 1 doubt that the "red and black" will.con" S | once more to the fore. At the same time, J; -;; trust that tho members will take to W : ; the remarks which fell from the lips of « M of the members as to proper discipline ■»% . maintained at the shed and during the tune ;v ; that crews are practising. There has been a| -., great laxity in that department, and the now ;.;- officers should insist upon the rules .ran? ..;. strictly adhered to in this respect. ' ~','' Tho West End Rowing Club has decided ;', to donate £10 10s for a cot in the.children! now hospital. It is not proposed to take tM jg money from the club's ordinary km £; to solicit donations from the members, 'W.; money in the meantime being guaranteed W ;; the committee. I am informed that the ac- -.-,- tion of the committee meets with the appro™.;.;; of the majority of the members. . j.( ' It is expected that the annual report.*.-,.; the West End Rowing Out (now in;t« || printer's hands) and balance-sheet will MP U " -': lislied next week. lam given tc understnni -~ that the total indebtedness of the. club "•;•;. now 48 debentures, owing to bona-nde otf™.,.. . bers of the club, while there is a credit | w- ~,. mice in the bank. All the plant, WWffl • , etc., are all paid for. and the foMjf\T , debentures is the total liabilities of ™«. C S ■ ;• The annual meeting will probably be M™ ..- threo weeks from to-day. „ .■'*! W& The committee of the Auckland Yacht m ,,,. are making arrangements for an_en Pft ;.: ment.in aid of an exhibition yacht race, . take place during the Exhibition. " "JP- m pesed that the conditions be similar tc » -,--., of.'the jubilee yacht race, which took ?!*,-:. here in 1890, and, as it would b open . M all classes of yachts, and it is expe««. .;•.,«gj under; the circumstances .all tho Jifflfe n >.' the harbour would compete, i' JWl'-* ■'■'- a very' attractive feature of the .EM'S' : ,;