SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1605, 23 November 1912, Page 12

SWIMMING.

rßx "Splash."] SOME NEWS OF INTEREST. Local Season Opens To-day. Wellington's swimming season is to open at the Te Aro Baths to-day. Mr. T. Ronayne, president of the Wellington Centre, will declare the season open, and will then plunge into the water. The Mayor (Mr. D. M'Laren) and. vice-presi-dents of the oentre will, probably he present. A short programme, as follows, will be got off:—soyds. boys' race; 50yds. seniors' race; and 100 yds. senior handicap race. It behoves all swimmors to be present at this opening, for a good .muster means a good' start-off for the season. "Tod" Solomons and His Party.Those swimmers who are aspiring re-cord-breakers, should lose no time in getting into training, as the crack Australian swimmers will be in Wellington very shortly now., Solid training for about two weeks is required from those who are to compete against "Tod." Solomons and his party, which consists of "Tod" Solomons, Kidding ton, and Hay, and will arrive in Wellington on December 1.. On Deoember 7 they will compete in a carnival at the Te Aro Baths. On December 9 they leave for; Napier, and during their stay thero. they I 'will compete "iB ; the carnival: On December 13 they will leave Napier for Lyttelton, arriving there on December 14, where they will compete in local carnivals. They will leave on their return to Wellington on December 20, and will spend a couple of days. here. Tho cost of the trip is estimated to run into about ;£6O. Kohanamoku, of Hawaii. The Australasian Swimming Association has invited the Hawaiian crack swimmer, Duke Kahanamoku, to visit Australia. Writing about the project the Sydney "Referee" says:—"There are people—many of them—who think Kohanamoku will be a big, broad star attraction for the State championship carnival if , he can be induced to leave his island home the necessary time. Perhaps; but there is none here who could seriously be looked upon as having any soTt of a sporting chance with him, and that being so, whatever swimming 'he may do will be of a purely exhibition character, which sort of thing, no matter who supplied it, never did excite any great amount of interest. Still, hundreds may go to see tho style which, and the maji -who, a few short months ago, so suddenly and so unexpectedly electrified the swimming universe. Hardly had Kolianamoku's name , reached this section of tho globe before ho swam and won world's honours and distinction, never' perhaps previously secured in such a brief space of, time; and with so little blare of press of partisan trumpet." Splashes. According to the' latest Sydney "Referee," Longworth lias made up his mind not to compote again as a swimmer, but as he is yet on the threshold of manhood, ho is not at all unlikely to succumb to the lure of the, sport when the swing of it becomes stronger. The Swedish Olympic Committee has issued a diploma of merit for Longworth.in/recognition of his 100 yards effort prior to falling a victim to that illness which laid him low during the greater port of tho Australian's stay in Stockholm. Longworth is disgusted at what he looks upon as his bad luck that time, and thinks training exacts too much. The annual meeting of the council of the N.Z.A.S.A. is to be held at Christchurch during the first week of December. During Inst week ne-.rs was cabled of the performance of a French' swimming master in staying under water for Gmin. 20sec. While the feat is a wonderful one, it is at the same timo a very dangerous operation, and . one which the New South Wales Amateur Swimming ' Association discountenanced sonic time ago. With the object of doing better than "the other fellow" tho competitor has often stayed under longer than ho should, with injurious results in man/ eases. The Government grant for .competitive purposes has teen allocated to the various centres as follows: —Auckland, •£ls; Wellington, ,£ls; Wanganiii, .£ls; Canterbury, .£2O; Hawke's Bay, JSI2 10s.; Otngo, .£10; Nelson, .£7 10s.; South Canterbury, .£5; total, XIOO. The problem tliat is now before the different clubs is (says tho Sydney "Sun") which body will HValy join on his arrival at Sydney ni 'November 21. Evidence points to the Manly Club gaining his services, owing to his partiality to Manly as a week-end resort, but it is just' as possible that he may join one of the city clubs. Which ever club it- is, that club will be fortunate, as apart, from the fact that lie may . resign altogether from participation in actual racing, Healy as swimming legislator is in tho front rank. Mr. T. Bain, tho Wellington Centre's delegate on the council of the N.Z.A.S.A., lias notified the secretary of the Wellington Contre that, he will be unable to continue holding that, office. Mr. Bain regrets that ho has had to resign,_ but his business engagements prevent him from accepting tho office again. The first steamship to bo built in Great Britain having four propellors and a combination of reciprocating and turbine machinery is now in course of construction at the Neptune Shipyard, Walker-on-Tyne, of Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Kichardson, Limited. The vessel is to be named the Beina Victoria-Eugenia, and is intended for the passenger and cargo service of the Compania TransAtlantica between Barcelona, Cadiz, and Central and South America. The municipal council at Prades, near Perpignan, actuated by a desire to encourage matrimony, has passed a resolution to the effect that the Government should select henceforth as prefect of tho Eastern Pyrenees a bachelor who shall be under the obligation of marrying within two months, in order that ho may be able to maintain, a fitting position in the.deDaxtpieat.