THE AMERICAN CUP.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 12 August 1920, Page 4

THE AMERICAN CUP.

Following is the viewpoint express* ed by a writer in the Hokianga Tim«s : —The spirit of "never give^ in" which prompts Sir Thomas Lipton to build yacht after yacht and spend thousands upon thousands ot pounds in an endeavour to capture the America Cup, is, with qualifications, commendable. But there are qualifications. The world is suffering at the present time from n want of production. There is a call for efficiency : a call for the brains of the world to show a lead in repairing the waste of war : ja. call for economy. What is Sir Thomas Lipton doing towards it ? Spending vast sums of money and employing tha best shipbuilding talent in Britain and encouraging the best skilled seamen to pur~ aue a life of (because most productive) idleness, for his own glorification. Had steam and internal combustion engines yet to be invented there might be some justification for Sir Thomas' lavish expenditure. We only say "might" because it is very doubtful if ever the lightly built and heavily canvassed racing boat would lead to any improvement in our mercantile marine. We do not for one moment meau to infer that sport of any kind should be sacrificed on the altar of utility. Properly conducted sport should be, as it always will be, one of the planks in the platform of progress. To eliminate it would be disastrous. No greater calamity could befall the British nation than to replace football, cricket yatching and kindred sports with military and naval training. It would Germanise the race. But there is a limit. The money Sir Thomas Lipton has spent in his endeavour.,to become a hero in the eyes oE the British public spent in fostering homo yachting club races, motor-boat> races and aeroplane performances would have been instrumental in bringing out seamen, engineers, mechanics and pilots of exceptional ability. In that c-ise, however, it would have been the seaman, engineer, machanic or pilot who would have received the praise, which is not much good to a philanthropist soexing advertisement and limelight. Had Lipton's boat won several million British subjects would have thrown thcur hats in the air and shouted "Hooray." How many of those millions could name the men who designed, built, rigged or sailed that boat? If Sir Thomas wants to spend his tea profits on fostering spurt let him do it on,a sport that will create a nation 1 ass^t and not in an ambition that at the best can only give pleasure to the very limited nuiubur who witness the race and produces nothing of national value.