New-York tribune., 1913-11-23
WHAT THE POWER
BOAT ASSOCIATION
HAS ACCOMPLISHED
Koerner, the President, Tells of
the Scope Now and Plans for
the Coming Year.
RACING COMMISSION WORK
Had a Soldering Influence on the
Records Made at Wildcat
Speed Trials This Season.

II. T. Koerner. president of the Ameri-
can Power Boat Association. in his an
nual report for 1913 Just issued. tells in
interesting detail what that organization
has accomplished in the last year and
what 1t intends 10 do In the future for
the betterment of power boat conditions.
| Speaking of the progress made by the
association, its president states that II has
had a normal and satisfactory growth.
The number of individual clubs has passed
| the $50 mark and the association is gain
| ing not only in numbers but In the quality
of its constituent units. Its field. he
says, is spreading far beyond the hopes
of its officers, and through the formation
Of four important sections the efficiency
has been correspondingly increased.
The California section. with clubs on the
| Pacific Coast AMI inland waters; the
Eastern Canadian section, with activities
in New Brunswick the Hudson River
section. devoted to the sport on the Hud-
son River and the Florida section have
brought the effective strength OF the as
ISOLATION, he declares, into greater power
and it's deliberative efficiency into broad
er fields than at any time during its
| career.
The acquisition of four new vice-presi-
dents to its council. increasing its men,
bership TO eleven, representing motor boat
activities from such widely separated To-
! calities, brings into its deliberations much
that has been lacking in the past and
emphasizes more than ever the nation
wide influence which the association ex-
erts to-day.
To carry out the reforms so impera-
lively needed in the conduct OF motor boat
racing a racing commission was appoint
ed last November consisting of Allen X.
White, chairman: Reuben b. Clark, sec
retary, and Frederick X. Lord. salts
factory beginning has been made, says
President Koerner, in the collection OF
data bearing upon every phase Of motor
boat racing securing of records over veri-
fed courses and control of timing in the
judges stands.
At all sanctioned races the officials ap-
pointed by the racing commission have
imposed and thus. for the first time in the
history Of motor boat racing, correct and
authentic records have been secured for
permanent tabulation in tho year book of
the association. Some objection has been
made by clubs and associations TO the
exclusive manner in which permanent rec
ords are being secured and recorded.
These objections. he says, can readily be
overcome by their becoming members OF
the association and conforming to the
rules that have been adopted for the safe
guarding Of actual performances.
Wildcat races he assumes, will be run
as heretofore, some of them primarily
for the purpose of advertising a certain
locality or accelerating the sale Of gome
specific engine. hull or part The usual
tremendous and impossible speeds. he
says. are produced TO order, but such
races are quite immaterial 10 the general
result. These personally conducted enter
prises he declares, are always out or
proportion to the effort made to attract
the eye of the public. and have neither
permanent value nor standing.
1T is. however, a robust fact says
President Koerner, that the vigorous
protests launched against exploiting races
for specific purposes has borne fruit
"The absurd claims for speed made in
1911 and 1912, usually obtained over short
courses. have shrunk materially in 1913.
although faster boats have been in opera
ton. The SOLDERING influence Of deter
mined protest has accomplished good and
the scandal Of exploitation will be entire
ly checked through the reforms adopted
by the association.
There is continued reason why the
American Power Boat Association should
be the representative for all international
races in America. 1t should assume oil
the preliminaries for this purpose and
should specify the club or association OF
clubs within it's jurisdiction TO conduct oil
such races The large growth. the breadth
of the associations influence and its ,nor-
nous geographical extent, operating as 1t
does from the Atlantic TO the Pacific
and from Canada 10 Cuba, make such
representation necessary If its relation to
motor boat interests in America were
clearly understood by the representatives
of foreign organizations in whose hands
the negotiations for such international
events are intrusted.'
President Koerner points out that cub
racing for semi-speed boats is rapidly
diving out No one will deny, he says,
that this particular boat is the backbone
Of local racing In nearly every locality
where landlocked waters offer special ad-
vantages. The general adoption of the
restricted class boat would not only IN
crease and stimulate the boat building
business. but would rehabilitate the wan
ing interest in local contests In a large
measure. Those who design boats. he be-
Iieves. should particularly try to Interest
prospective owners and encourage the
adoption of the classes specially recoh-
mended by the association.