ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

"■ , - (Bs 'Mbhouet.) , By the time those notes appear the provincial championships of the Wellington Ccn- - tre for, the' season; will bo a' thing of the past,-and present holderb • will either', have a firmer* grip*-on their titles, or will be congatulating-. the new champions, on the distinction. ;i j- had \ intended to have; dealt with yesteMay's'; ineeting. .at length last . . week, 'but of, Christmas matter and ; the early publication of The Dominion precluded thisj'.so' I will leave comment and criticism. ssiie, -4 -iiivilio- pleasant, anf of' a sucicossful day will have been realised in.full. Tho non-appearance of these notes last week >lsb.:'pMvonted',"the' correption^of. 1 two; errors that. crept into my remarks on ' the reoent W;A.A.O. meeting at; the Atlieltic Park. ;The first was in reference to the time in the 100 metres ,raos, in which I was made to say. that the time of the winner was "just under 1 evens-.'" This, of course, should have been " just qutsido 'evens; 1 " "The sccond was an ■injustice 'to that very goodj sport, J. ;W.' Heenan ; to whom my apologies are due for not; givibg hini.'' credit, for;his fine win in, the; imile raioe. : ; - Tho Wellington Centre has every reason to. bessatisfied ..with, .the; showing made by tile contingent representing it at the, Wanganui. meeting'dn Boxirigj'Dayi. ;Ten men made the' trip; and" secured,;'a bag of four - firsts and six seconds; and' incidentally spent a very pleasant- holiday:—a happy enough combination for-any, at&te.;-.-The returned runners report very; favourably on the running of E. Ji'Williams', espeoiallyin the 600, yards event. According to 'Amateur" m tho "Otago Witness,"Heetorßurkisin no sort of form at all this, season, and .it . will' require" some weeks of training; to bring him back ipto condition. Burk turned out in .'the mile, but : after making. a break to get. up oil • the big field, left the track. Tho ono-timo champion t'urned out :in 'the-120 Flat, getting a place in his heat,' and running tlura in tho final. ■ . : j _ A meeting of-the Executive Committee of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club was held on December 16 in the Sports Club Rooms-. It . was decided to hold the annual sports in conjunction with the- New Zealand Marat-lion ■Racer 'on. Saturday, "March; 13, the following events, which will fill in time while tho speotators are wafting for.; tho; finish of the'Mara-thon;-Race,'; being 'set/down for decision— ■75yds. and 220 yds. Open Handicaps, 120 yds. Maiden Handioap, 120 yds. Hurdle Handicap, 100 yds. Primary Schools' Handicap (for boys under 15 years); '440 yds. Secondary Schools' Handicap, Relay- Race (880 yds., for teams ' from' • mercantile', firms, ', four "men -per team, usual conditions), -and musical chairs v on' bicycles. Boxing; and tug-of-war events ' will comploto the programme. . . v -'- -.- This is . a-" healthy sign; indeed, and it is to be hoped-that the.awakening.of the Auckland Oontrerromitslong sleep \WII puco amateur athletics in the northern city on,their, old plane. . of'tho annual meeting; the.thirty-third; shoV : that;there was a large .attondanco.aud,a..very;gTa , tifying,nuinber.of applications for ( membership. The president, Mr. - Leo.- -Myers, in< .his- opening remarks, stated that abig-effort was to bo mado to revive: thO feport,' prospects of doing soiweroivery encouraging.-Tho DalanceBheot showedva credit'of.£2l 7s. 6d. *

.. ; A Copy of. a circular letter Sent by . the , oouncil of tho:New Zealand Amateur Athletic ■ Association to club secretaries has como mto ■ my .hands;-and .is worthy of publication if i only- 1 as! it sample 'of; the .tactics employed; by \ that body. It reads" Dear Sir,—l beg to . inform you that the' self-appointed committeo -in Wellington, has_, not i een recognised by. tha ; 'Australa'siaif TJiiionr. a"nd~has 'no jurisdiction! . over amateur- athletics in New Zealand. -. Therofore 'kiiidly: refer' everything t-o the pro-' t sent council. All clubs who; have not already j done, so-,ire, requested;to. forward this' year's i subscriptibh'i'at . their; earliest' convenience.— ) Tours;'faithfiilly," et.c. : . ~ ■ . This is .one, of the olearest cascs of misre- i presentation of .fact -imaginable,; '. To begin, j .Witt, 1 , the;;,comniittM;' was - not' "self-appom-. ; ( ted." It was appointed by the at ) the.'Christchurch;.; Conference,; Representing i the Otago;and Southland clubs —in fact, tho- ] ; Wellington, delegates deliberately' refrained < from voting—so much for that. Then, again, • i on;; what/|authorityowas;'.the. : statement made : that the nefw council has not been recognised - ' ■ by tho Australasian- Union ? Tho matter has'i - not ..yet .even-boon considered- by the-Aus-tralasiiin'. Union;ln .thus ; attempting ter'mis- | l lead;olubs by trying to anticipate matters,' I the ChristchuToh'body lays-itself open to-the' . and I these; tactics are the more to be deplored be- | cause ;the clubs'circularised , are, according to Mr. Atack's council; ignorant of what, all; the trouble; is; about. advantage is to be taken of this ignorance by, the;, old otraneil to lay ; before. them a " doctored " ver- ' sion of.its own case.' . 1 think; however,»that • it will-be found.that the clubs, aro hardly-as . ignorant as the ,Christchurch folk are trying to,make us believe. ■■ .. . i; . "Amateur" ;in the "Otago Witness,", is mysteribus—as under"ln connection with the''athletic trouble,' a; bomb is likely to .be.-exploded ;in . the camp of tho. old council in ' Christchurch when the suggested arbitration comes about.-; I understand some indelicate 'questions" are to bo asked concerning the, Surubb-Duffey .tour, and tho action or the council, in .connection therewith. The Auokland Centre, is very.. anxious to know something*,'about- the'.'alleged/payment /of .'appearance rtoney' to' the world's stars .wio itoured ,New,, Zealand a year or two ago. 'If' a-;satisfactory answer is not forthcoming, 'there r is 'a probability of the Auokland Centre throwing in. its -lot with tho new executive, in; which case tho ,old- council would go out with somo emphasis." . . It may not 'bo gonerally; known that the recent race between Dorando Piotri and E. 'Hayes, the' Olympic.hero at -New. York, was over -a .distance-of •42 kilometres, and was for a 'prize of 500 dollars... By tho way, Alfred Shrubb, out hero in ,1905; issued a challengo; to the Marathon, winner for a 20-mile race, - but Hayes declined the. chal- ; lenge.:'';;;^.;-.;-'^ .w- U:'-'■; Dorando has since been, beaten by tho Canadifin-Indian,- Tom Longboat, 1 . iii 1 a 26mile, race,; in;, New York;! 'in 2hrs.; 45min.It..will,be remembered that Dorando collapsed in ; the : 26th.' inilej ..and rolled; oflt the : track,; ;leaving the. Indian; to' finish • fresh j and alone. A message from Montreal .dated October 26 intimated that the Independent Harrier ; road * race of 15 miles for . the trophy' offered by- the ,Montre'ali"Star" resulted in another vict-oryi.for tho Indian; Longboat. His.time ; was lhr. 25min. 43sec.i, this being about a rainuto r-faster than the. Indian made in 'the. same race last. year, 1 , but "over a minute slower thahl' Longboat; made in his exhibition race, iover: tbo. .same course in June. last. Holmer; of Halifax,.'was a good second, finishing thirty 'seconds after • Longboat, while Woodj ,of Montreal{ was third, two yards behinfeHolmer: . The Irish-Canadians of ; woii. the team trophy, Sellcn, of tho same club as Longboat; being fourth; and .; tho team also captured tenth -and. '; four--1 teenth places. Upwards of 10,0,000 witnessed ' tho running of the race.

On the outskirts of Bradford two boys who l wore walking along a footpath aoross somo 1 fields found tho body" of a man with a rei volver wound in his head. ..Tho revolver was > still in ; his hand; a pocket of the olothes • was the-following -note: —"In caso of a dispnto with the insurance company about tho time limit this'^will''prove, that I waß alivo " on November "4.-.""My-name is on the hotel | '■ register.—Mm D. -Paparritor, 288 Bury ,Now i ) Road, Higher. Broughton." Tho note was 1 written on tho: billhead-of a Leeds hotel. y .A (Jaring i'oyaTO:,acros's tho Channel has 1 been accomplished"!!! 'a. small motor boat by i a young. 'man ,-belonging to Amiens. He j trosscd from Boulogne to Dover nlono in e this boat, tho Eugenio Juliette. -After somo t repairs to bis motor, ; ho Bet out from Dover o for Calais.; Very'foggy weather sprang up, q but he safely reached tho French port. Ho •- has returned to .Amiens; down tlio river . i Somme. .