ROWING DISPUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17035, 8 May 1923, Page 1

ROWING DISPUTE.

ASSOCIATION AND REGATTA CLUB. STATEMENT OF THE CASE. A meeting of the Akaroa Regatta Club was held on Alay 5 to consider a letter from the Canterbury Rowing Association in regard to the Regatta Club withholding £l6 prize money, won by the Avon Rowing Club,..on account of a birth certificate not being produced. There were present: Messrs G. Armstrong (commodore, presiding), P. G. Riches, F. Kearney, T. Alaselield, C. Stew-art, T. F. Al’Kenzie, 8. W. Henning, R. Jory, J. Aianson and W. Jacobson (honorary secretary). REGATTA CLUB’S RESOLUTION. The secretary was instructed to forward the following letter to the Canterbury Rowing Association: “ 1 am in receipt of your letter of April 30 in which you embody a resolution stating that my club will be suspended if the £l6 prize money won by the Avon Rowing dub is not paid within fourteen days.’ From the outset we wish to state quite plainly that :*i this matter there is absolutely no animosity towards the Avon Rowing Club or any other club, which competes at our regatta. Your letter shows that you are rather vague on the whole matter. You say:—‘Birth certificates for all youths should, of course, have been forwarded with the entries, and it appears to us that when the entries were received was the time to take action.’ On December 12 the following resolution was carried by the Regatta Club: —‘ That the Avon Rowing Club be notified that a birth certificate, signed by the registrar, was necessary in the case of T. Kirton, born, in Wanganui.’ This was conveyed in a letter to Avon Rowing Club on December 13. No answer was received. On January 2*5 we informed the Avon Club that having received no reply to our letter, in which we requested the certificate, we ueclijned to pay the prize money. On January 25 we wrote for your ruling regarding declarations, and on February 7 you wrote that at a meeting held on February 1 it was agreed that certificates should be forwarded and declarations only in the case of youths born outside New Zea Land. In a letter on February 14 you foi warded the certificate of C. A. Stiles, an Avon Club youth, born in Natal, but not Kirton’s. Your letter of Alarch 9 asked that the prize mone.> be paid direct to the Avon Rowing Club, because it had won no youths races at the regatta. In putting our case, we think, in the first .place, that the Avon Rowing Club has been discourteous over the whole matter, and furthermore has never attempted to comply with our rules, ajjproved of by your association, which require birth certificates to accompany entries. Also .n accepting entries, we treat with clubs, not competitors, and the Rowing Association's rules provide that the procuring of birth certificates is the duty of the competing clubs to protect themselves and the sport in general. We fail to see where your association ha 3 backed us up in this matter at all. whereas you must agree that the Avon Rowing Club has made a demand through your association for the prize money and taken no steps at all to produce a certificate or to explain wliy they have not done so. It was decided by resolution not to pay the prize money in dispute to the Rowing Association, and to enclose copies of tho two letters sent to the Avon Rowing Club -/on December 13 ar.d January 25.” THE ASSOCIATION S LETTER. “ I am in receipt of your letter of your letter regarding the amount wviu by the Avon Rowing Club at your re cent regatta, and note that your coin mittee have decided to withhold pay ment until Kirton’s birth certificate is produced. We are afraid we do not quite understand your reasons for de dining to pay the money over. Birth certificates for all youths should, or course, have been forwarded with th:> entries, and it appears to us that when

the entries were received was the time to take action : it the conditions were not complied with the entries should not have been accepted. We understand that a declaration as to K*irton!s age has been forwarded to you, and as you have accepted declarations in other cases, wh\ insist oxi a certificate being produced in this particular case? Furthermore. in view of the fact that the Avon Club’s crew did not win any races in the youth’s class, we fail to see whv the money should be withheld, that was won in other races, on account of irregularities in the youths’ entries. The matter was fully discussed at a meeting of the association, when the following motion was carried :—‘ That the Akaroa Regatta Club be suspended fotwelve months if the amount is not paid °T er y'ithin fourteen days of the date of this letter.’ The dispute now re solves itself into one between your committee and the association, and is a question of the N.Z.A.R.A. rules being complied with. We trust you will see that your committee has no option but to pay over the amount to the association in accordance with Rule 15, Rules for Amateur Regattas. N.Z.A.R.A. We feel sure that matter can be settled amicably and that you will let us have your cheqxie for the amount within the specified time of fourteen days.”