THE AMERICA CUP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1624, 16 December 1912, Page 8

THE AMERICA CUP.

Sir Thomas - Lipton ' 'has the American Cup bee.in. his bonnet again, states a recent issue of the Sydney "Referee." He. wants the New York Yacht Club to' permit him to build a challenger under the "universal rule." He eays that the three' Shamrocks he built under the old rules were only good for the scrap heap when the races were finished.

"I do not say that under the universal rule I would win the cup, but if I got licked I,would feel that I had an equal chance with my competitor."; So spake Sir Thomas in an interview ia New York last month.' "In addition," he "an International race would give an. impetus to yachting throughout America. _ America may get challengers from Britain, but I nave stood 1 aside for nine years now, and no one has come forward and no one will so long as America holds to sixty-year-old conditions. I want no favours from any club in America. I merely say that the rule adopted by every American club is good enough for me, and why should the New York Club ask 1 me to race under a rule which is barred by all the clubs in the United States? The Americans can easily change the old conditions of 60 years ago, as, in the deed of gift, there is a golden bridge, which states that by mutual consent of the opposing parties, tho conditions of the raoo can be altered. If you stick,to the old conditions, you may as well send the cup to some museum as an ancient relio.- Is young America satisfied to rest on her laurels held under 6uch conditions? I cannot believe that America will let a few men build granite rocks around the T>lue ribbon of tho sea.' If it is worth keeping it is worth fighting for, and I am willing to fight in your own waters, and under your own rules, if you will.let me. Only say the word, and I will issue a challenge within twentyfour hours." ' • ' Quite an impassioned appeal, wasnt it? But it has been of no avail up to the The man who wTote the interview added the following:— "Are the present rules governing the America's Cup as unfair as Sir Thomas contends, or not? Tho officers and mombers of the New York Yacht Club, the present holders of the trophy, say that not only are the present rules fair, but they have no power to alter them even if they wished. The' America Cup is supposed to represent the yacht racing championship of the world, and while the trophy was placed by its donors in the custody of the New York Yacht Club, they simply hold the trophy as trustees for the rest of tho yachtsmen of the country. Briefly, there are .80,000 odd yacht owners m the United States, and of this number only GOO are enrolled in the New York Yacht Club."