MOTORS AND MOTORING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12698, 29 October 1904, Page 5 (Supplement)

MOTORS AND MOTORING.

The two new steam passenger cars for the Devonport to Lake Takapuna service are expect*! to arrive in Auckland in the course of. a few days. Mr. E. Le Roy appears to be getting satisfactory results from his 3& horse-power Excelsior Fore car.

The Rotorua Motoi and Coaching Company's two powerful "express" cars were seen in town during the early part of the week, and came in for a lot of admiration. They should be greatly appreciated by tourists visiting the thermal wonderland. Two or three Cadillac cars have been" landed hero for delivery fro Southern motoring enthusiasts.

. Native princes are t-.iux to be extensively interested in motor reliability trials, to be run between Delhi and Bombay nest Christmas. The distance is about 880 miles.

LAWN TENNIS-

The Auckland Club's lawn at Grafton Road will be opened this afternoon in conjunction 1 with the Bowling Club's opening. It is pleasing to note that the steps to be taken by the Auckland Association to put tennis on a more eaisfactory footing this season will in likelihood embrace a scheme for the encouragement of the game among school children. The Wellington Association is I promoting a schools' competition, and would, no doubt, . will'.ngly supply the Auckland authorities with details.

The Auckland Lawn Tennis Association has definitely decided to revive inter-club competitions during the incoming soason, and to promote a tournament, consisting of championship and handicap events, during the. Christmas vacation.

The Eden and Epsom Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club's lawns will' be opened on Saturday next (November 5). Two players who may possibly represent Australasia next year at Wimbledon in the •" Davis" international matches, in the persons of Dr. Eaves and Wilding, of New Zealand, have' attain been distinguishing themselves in tournaments in England and on the Continent. The former player has been very successful at Hombur?. where, with BallGreene, he beat the Americans, Grant and Wright, in an exhibition match, 6— 6—3, the Americans having previously defeated them in the final of the tournament. Eaves also (rot as far as the final in the international singles. Wilding, when the last English mail 'eft, had just been playing in the North Cumberland tournament at Carlisle, and, in addition to winning the open mixed doubles with Miss Ferguson, had won the championship "ingles of the district.

GOLF. The New Zealand golf tournament for 1904 will bo completed to-day at Dunedin. Auckland has no representatives present, and the issue of the championship is consequently of little interest locally. It is somewhat unfortunate that none of the players of fhe strong iNorth Island clubs are taking part in the meeting, but their absence is in consequence of the very strong feeling which arose through the action of the Southern übs in insisting that the champ onship should be, in accordance with the technical rule of the wew Zealand Council, which provides that the championship shall be held in the North and South Islands alternately Last year the meeting was held at Napier, on the distinct understanding that the meeting should be held this year at Wellington, but Otago and Christchurch fell bade on the technical rule, and would not give way. The tournament this year is practically one between the members of the Otago and Christohurch Golf Club, the only strong representative of the North Island being K. Tareha, who went to defend his title of champion. He was defeated in the fourth round by H. D. Stronaoh, after a keen match, which ended at the 21sfc hole. There is a probability that the championship meeting next year will be held in Auckland. AQUATICS. I am glad to learn that the Ponsonby Regatta Committee have definitely decided to retain the race for the large yachts on their programme this year. Yachtsmen are all very busy just now in getting their boats in readiness for the opening of the season, which takes place on November 9. I trust to see a large muster of the yachts not only of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, but of all the other clubs in the harbour, so that the display may be one worthy of the premier yacht centre in Australasia. .

I West End Rowing Club will hold their first "At Home" on Saturday afternoon next, at ! the boathouse, St. Mary's Bay. A number of written invitations have been issued by the officers of the club to friends. The afternoon tea will be dispensed by the Ladies' Committee of the club, and a first-elnss band has been engaged to discourse music. For the trial fours in connection with the "At Home" 17 ; crews have entered. ! Auckland, Waitemata and North Shore ; Rowing Clubs each held very interesting trial fours last Saturday afternoon, some of the heats of each club being very keenly con- | tested. Messrs. Logan Bros, will launch next weok : the new. patiki, which they have just completed to the order of a Mahukau yachtsman. The boat is being rigged, and her sails have arrived from England. Dottrel, the new patiki built by Messrs. ;,j Logan Bros, for Mr. R. M. Wilson, of ■Hob-. i sons Bay, has been out for several trial (spins since she was launched, and appears to be very fast. Mr. C. Bailey, jun.,, has now the new 27-footer for Mr. J. Frater so well forward that she is expected to lie in the water next week. Thelma, Rainbow, Windward and several other yachts were launched during this week, and they are being got ready for the coming season as quickly a3 possible. , Auckland Rowing Club hold their second series of trial, fours on Saturday afternoon next, for a handsome set of trophies, presented by Mr. John Reid, vice-president. The new yacht Ariki was out to. a trial spin last Saturday, and acquitted herself very well. When she is got into trim and her nails get into proper order the general opinion of yachtsmen is that she will be very fast. - ■ The Auckland Anniversary Regatta is again occupying the attention of the few enthusiasts who each year bear " the heat and burden of the day." A meeting .was held lest Wednesday at which officers wore elected to carry out the details of the annual aquatic function. The committee meet again next Wednesday .to consider the drawing up of : the programme and other matters. j Mr. "Jack" Lovett, the popular captain I of the Auckland Rowing Club, who has been ! on a visit to Australia, returned to Auck- | land last Monday. Mr. Lovett tells me that j he had a most enjoyable time with the oars- | men he met at Sydney and Melbourne, and comes back full of pleasant memories of the treatment he received at their hands. ; At Melbourne he met "Jerry" Carrigan, an old West Ender, and had a row with him on the Yarra in an eight. " Jerry" sent his good wishes to ail old friends amongst Auckland oarsmen. ( North Shore Rowing Club will hold their' " At Home" and trial fours on Saturday afternoon next, for handsome gold medals, presented by Mr. A. Kohn (vice-president). Re- , cord entries have been received. The crews will be selected early, and will be given plenty of time, to train, so good racing should be the order of the day. "I had a long talk with 'George Towns, the champion oarsman of the world, during .my visit to Sydney." said "Jack" Lovett, on his return from Sydnev this week. "Towns | told me that he made £800 over the late championship race, and that there were 60,000 persons present to witness it. He expects a challenge from Stanbury at any time. Mr. Spencer Gollan is one of Towns' strongest supporters. Towns is now engaged .in boatbuilding and oarmaking."

WAITEMATA BOATING CLUB. The following crews have been chosen by the Selection Committee to represent the club at the forthcoming Mercer Regatta: — Maidens (under lOst): G. Parkes (stroke), J. Graham (3), J. W. Heath (2). R. Robins 1). Heavy-weight Maidens: F. Herring (stroke), J. Macguire (3), A. Warwick (2), A. Andrews (1). Juniors (under lOst): W. J. Wtray (stroke), H. E. Allen (3), A. »• Allen (2), O. B. Short (1). Heavy-weight Juniors: G. Huddleston (stroke), D. Bell (3), W. Stevens (2), E. A. Smith (1). The Selection Committee have deferred picking the senior crew for a few days, and No. 2 crews for the light and heavy maidens will be announced shortly. ■■'

ST. GEORGE'S-ROWING CLUB. . Judge's Bay, Parnell, presents a busy nppearanoe moraine- and evening, now that the rowing season has opened. The eight crows ; competing for the commodore's trophies are training hard, night and morning. The club s plant has undergone a complete overhaul, as, the appearance of the club's boats; showed on the opening day, the spectators and others agreeing .that their turnout .was very smart. I he committee are pushing ahead the business in connection with the first club s At Home" on Saturday next,. The gig races will be evenly contested, and close finishes are, expected. . A first-class band of twenty-five performers will be in attendance, and many side-shows will interest and amuse the purjuc. A strong committee of ladies is being formed to superintend th© afternoon tea arrangements. '

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND YACHT SQUADRON. At a meeting of the committee of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, on Thursday evening last, the fixtures fo rthe season were arranged as follows:—-Opening day, November 9 class handicaps, 32ft and under, and over 32ft, November 19; first cruising race, December 10; second cruising race, January 21, 1905; class racing, 42ft 1.r., ,36ft 1.r., 30ft 1.r., 25ft 1.r., February 4, 1905; 26ft tuck stern, c.b., handicap, patikis handicap, February 4; third cruising race, March 11; motor launch races, handicaps, November 19, . 1904, and February 4, 1905. The pnzemoney and trophies offered are valued at £110 10s. Mr. Alfred Seccombe was elected a member of committee, in place of Mr. F. W. Coombes, who has resigned. Messrs. W. E. Alexander and G. V. Edgcumbe were elected measurers; Messrs. R. S. Reynolds, F. J. Stewart, and P. H. Cole wore appointed the Sailing Committee for the season. It was also decided that a social should be held in the clubrooms on the evening of November 9, at which a large number of new limelight views will be exhibited by Mr. H. Winkelmanii.

BOWING AT NGARUAWAHIA. A Ngaruawahia correspondent writes that things tiro booming in the rowing line up there. The club has been reconstructed, and is worked by a strong committee, with a very enthusiastic lion, secretary (Mr. H. Thorpe} at the Head. They have now 36 members. They wore out on Sunday, and shaped very well. The club is building , a fine boathouse sui't by 25ft, with a boatI shed on the ground floor, and olubrooms ! and dressing-rooms on the second storey, • j with a large balcony facing the river. They j have purchased a ladies' pair-oared skiff, and placed orders with Messrs. Bailey and Lowe, of Auckland, for another pair-oared skiff and 1 an 18ft pleasure boat for the use of members ' and friends. The several crews a.re in heavy training now for tbe Mercer Regatta next month. The season opened with trial fours and a ball on October 12, and the club in- . tend holding trial fours every month, and I • antioipato successful season. .

HUNTLY REGATTA. The newly-formed Huntly Regatta Committee held their second meeting at Waahi (King Mahuta's settlement) the other day, and made a very promising start with the arrangements for a regatta to be held in that popular township early next year, most probably January 29, if arrangements can be made with the Railway Department. ( An excellent programme of Maori events is being arranged. Undoubtedly ' the Waikato at Huntly is an ideal place to hold a regatta, all being able to see the races from start to finish, the course being a perfectly straight one. ' ; . PONSONBY REGATTA. The weekly committee meeting of the Ponsonby Regatta. Club was held last Wednesday, and there was a very large attendance of members present. The collectors' reports from the various districts, were more than satisfactory, and if the- publio support con-, tinues for two or three weeks there is ©very indication of this year's collections being a record. The notice of motion to erase the patiki class from the programme was held over until a future date, and that of the firstclass yachts, after a considerable amount of discussion, and the committee taking into consideration chat there was every chance of there being a large field this year, it was unanimously agreed that the race should remain. The" Devonport Ferry Company's fine steamers have been obtained >as tenders, and will run at short intervals from the Queen-street and Ponsonby Wharfs. The Newton Brass Band has been engaged to supply the music on board the flagships. The officers for the day were appointed as follows:—Starter of sailing races, Mr. W. Carter; judge, Mr. F. Stonex; starter rowing races, Mr. J. Clark;, judges, Mr. T. T. Masefield and Captain Farouhar; judge best decorated craft. Captain Bettis; judge side shows, Mr. J. Conway ; handicappers, Messrs. F. v Stonex, H. McLeod, and J. Conway; Side-show Committee, Messrs. Gittos, Payne, Conway, and Baine; official measurers, Messrs. A. Thompson, F. Stonex, and C. Palmer. The remaining officers and committee will be appointed at the next meeting. ■ '. - ~ , ; ; LlfiJL