WELLINGTON ROWING CLUB.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1502, 26 July 1912, Page 7

WELLINGTON ROWING CLUB.

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report to be presented at the annual general meeting of the Wellington Rowing Club, to be hold next week, states thitt the membership of the club , has been increased by 16 duvia" the year.

The total amount won at regattas during the 6cason was £2D. This shows a distinct improvement. Tho number of events competed in was seventeen, and tho club scored three firsts, two seconds, three thirds, and were unplaced nino times. . The maiden crew are to be congratulated upon their win at Picton, and special thanks must le given to Mr. A. Butler for his attention to the men's land tiaining. Also the niaiieii double scullers at Picton and the junior fours at Farndon 'must be congratulated. One thing the. club is sadly in need of, and that is coaches. The committee would very much liko to see some old members, who have, done yeoman services for the club in the pasl, come forward and frfve the young members the benefit of their ■ experience. The plant hns undergone a great deal of repairing and is now in first-class order. Tho cl.ub is deeply indebted to Messrs. F. lacey and H. M'Kinley for their untiring efforts in keeping tho boats in good conditiou.- Mr. Lacey is now beginning to renovate tho shed. Despite a certain lack of interest in club racing during last season, some very interesting races eventuated. It is a matter of regret that the club had such bad .-weather, and this hampered tho Race Committee a great deal, but one outstanding feature was the nonappearance of members of Various crows when races were to be got off. Tho com-, mittee trust that this sort of thing will not occur next season. The senior pairs was held over. Mr. A. Butler has donated" a medal for the man scoring the most number of wins in tho ladder sculls for Mr. C. Morris's Cup. Mr. W. Allen has promised" two medals for the junior pairs race. The club made an addition to the plant of two junior practice clinker convertible rair and double sculler boats,. also two sets of racing oars and two sots of racing sculls. This, brings the plant up to a very high standard, tho best the club has had for a numbor of years. The only, thing that is wanted -now is a new "best and. best four, and the club will then have a plant «qnal to any club in the Dominion. The total number of boats in the shed is twenty-six."

WON'T QO HOME.

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS "ON STRIKE.", ■ • ■ ■ There -was very'.- nearly no big .League match on Saturday (says the "Sydney Daily, Telegraph" of Monday, July 15). ■.. Members of, the.New Zealand team received' instructions on Friday froni .'the executive in New Zealand , that arrangements had been, made for them to play amatch in Wellington next Saturday, and that, in order to fulfil the fixture, the team would have to leave Sydney immediately after Saturday's match against New South Wales. The programme originally provided that: the Maorilanders ehbuld have three days' spell in Sydney, leaving on Wednesday next for Auckland,'their home.

The team was to have been entertained at a banquet to-night (continues the "Tolegrapn") by the president of tho New South Wales League, Mr. J. Joynton Smith, M.L.C. On account of the insubordination shown by the team in refusing to obey the cabled .instructions, the banquet has been declared "off." And the New South Wales League will refuse to entertain officially a team which .is held to be in disgrace. Players showed a disinclination to discuss tho position, but the facts aro these: When the intentions of the New Zealand executive were conveyed to the team by its managers, the players held a meeting and'delivered to the managers their resolution, in writing, not to take the field against New South Wales on. the following day (Saturday)' if they were to leave for New Zealand j that evening.' In view of this ultimatum, and tho danger of disappointing a great crowd' of people, no arrangements were mado for the departure of the players, who therefore remain in Sydney until Wednesday. The hoard of management of the New .South Wales League, at a meeting on Saturday evening, endorsed the decision of its-president to cancel the banquet arrangements.

Discussing the position, Mr. Joynton Smith said that he regretted tho action taken by the visiting players, but there was no justification for it. "It is impossible,", said Mr. Smith, "that I should separate my private citizenship from my •■position as president of the New South Wales Rugby League, and, as president of tho League, it is impossible for mo to eulogise' the playing qualities of these visitors and. invite tho leaders of the Government and prominent public men to entertain them. The Premier, Mr. M'Gqwen, was to have "attended the banquet." They are a team now in disgrace? "Until they have made their explanation and have been dealt with by their own executive" replied tho president. "I refuse publicly to honour them. Theso men have been insubordinate, ind there must bo discipline , in tho league .organisation, or it cannot prosper. If we were to allow this kind of thing to go on without .admonishing the players in some way, and without expressing our disapproval— , not waut of sympathy—we are simply {folding oiit an inducement io them, or to others, to do something similar on another 'occasion. This is only tho thin end of tho wedge. ■ How would it bo possible for leading public men to pass eulogiums on players who had proved themselves recalcitrant Io the trust reposed in them ? Obedience to their executive was one of the basic principles underlying the tour, They are not considering their, own league, but are'thinking only of the few days to be spent in Sydney. They forget that they aro all partners in a big concern, and apparently they havo not the spirit of camaraderie which would ninko them think of thoir comrades in Wellington, and the possible loss to thorn. The thing might have hvn adjusted if the men had approached the matter, not hastily, but with duo consideration; but when they issued this ultimatum what could br> done?"

In the players' camp there is no spirit of repentance Although nono vrould talk "for publication," deprecating tho fact that a private matter was being touched on in the papers, a "Daily Telegraph" reporter gathered that Ihe men objected to beins summarily extrmlUeiU Ihe tour had b'.'en. pknncd many weeks ago. While admitting that some truilt mjttht bo attachable to them f.r their action, they intimat'd that, umler similar they would adopt the same course again, and thev were ciiiiro prepared to accept the upon roturmnc home. The mannger«' position is amply that they wore ordered by Hie controlling authority to bring the'tiam away, and the action of the men themselves prevented them from carrying out the instruction.