Too Big for New Zealand. Alone.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1752, 17 May 1913, Page 12

Too Big for New Zealand. Alone.

Without their assistance tho tour must fall through. 11l its present form it is too big a. proposition to to handled by tho N.Z.A.A.A. alone. Last year's proposition' was on a. different footing. In that case tho visitors were coming from tho Pacific const only; in tho present instance it is proposed to pick the touristy from all over the States, and the additional cost of assembling a team under these conditions makes the co-operation of the Australian bodies absolutely essential to financing tho tour. The good to Australasian athletics winch such a visit would do is obvious. The quickening of public interest and the benefit not only to the sport, but to our athletes themselves, that would accrue need no stressing here. Tho local council need no urging in tho matter. Provided satisfactory arrangements can bo made with tho Australian friends, it can bo depended upon to do its part. It is in tho making of tliesa arrangements that the successful issue ' of tho project lies, and it is to be hoped most sincerely that t'lio various associations will work together to bring tho visit to pass. The council of the N.Z.A.A.A. has a special meeting on Monday night, when the matter is to come up for consideration. Some Records and the Cable Man, 1 Ite following cablegrams were published during tho week:— London, May 12. IJenry Green, at Stamford Bridge, broke the twenty-five mile running record, covering the distance in 2hr. 29miu. 30sec. Lloyd lowered tho fifty-mile record, completing the course in (ihr. 13min. oSsec.

JUMPING. j Sydney, May 13. ] L. E. Glover, in a standing broad jump t at Toowooiuba, did 12ft. lOin—a worlds ; record. In tho hop, step, and jump ho ( covered 30ft. sin (sic)—an Australasian , record. j In amplification whereof tho following , figures should be interesting for purposes , of comparison, also as showing that tli® , cable man is not quite correct in his , facts. (Tho figures are taken from Miller's "Sporting Guide.") : Tho twenty-five milo record figures are —Professional, 2hr. 23min. 13sec., Hans Holmer. Amateur—January 3, 1911, Edinburgh, 2hr. 21min. 20 4-ssec., Tom Longboat (Indian), road race, April 19, 1907, Boston. . Firty miles—Professional, shr. somm. disec., G. Cartwright, February, 1887, England. Amateur, Chr. 18min. 20 l-ssec., J. E. Dixon, April, 1885, England. The previous best for broad and hop, step and jump (standing and without weights), were:—Broad jump—Professional, 12ft. ljin., J. Darby, May, 1890, England. Amateur, lift. Gin., R. C. Ewery, August, 190tj, New York. Hop, Step and Jump—Amateur, 35ft. Giu., H. Courtney, August, 189S, Ireland. The Australasian best (professional), stands to the credit of A. B. Postle, who in November, 1907, cleared 32ft. lOin. at lCalgoorlie. A Champion as Prophot. John Paiul Jones, of Cornell University, America, tho holder of the world's amateur record for the rnilo run, has told a Now York sportsinan t something that is of great interest to followers of'athletics. Ho virtually admitted that lis expected to be defeated in tho inter-coilcgiate onemilo championship in New York in a few months. Jones believes that Norman Tabor, of Brown University, is the greatest runner in the world over a mile. "Ta.bor hasn't found himself yet," says Jones. "When that fellow learns to run, as ho should run, you won't hear anything about any Jones'js, or Kiviats, or Jacksons." The Harrier Men's Entente with Rugby. Prom the usual source comes tho following weekly harrier budget:—"There is no further news to hand as to the number of teams entered by th» harrier clubs for next Saturday's race at tho Athletic Parle during tho interval in tho Rugby games. As it is feirablo in the interests of the harriers and for the sake of tho spectators that tho entry bo a 9 large as possible, I would suggest that tlw race bo mado a handicap one, and that weaker teams be granted a. points allotment. Tiio plan is quito feasible —it would probably bring out fir more runners, would mako the event more interesting all round, and is therefore .respectfully oommended to tho next meeting of the authorities for consideration. "While 011 this subjeot, I notjeo that who it: as tho Brooklyn Club has an entry of ten teams or more for its road race from tho Oriental Bay kiosk to-day, it has on'ly entered two toams for next wi(;k's event at the park. Vof courso the club's executive knows its own business test, but it would appear to an outsider that if an entry of over 30 men is available for a olnb ovent a larger muster than two teams (ten men) can. be got for an affair like tho Park run, which is to havo such a big bearing on the welfare of the sport as a wholo in tho city." Novices at Work, Both the Saturday clubs conducted theix novice handicaps last week as per scliednfj;,—tho Brooklyn Club at Miramar and Wellington at tho Hutt. Tho weather conditions were all against good fields, and good performances, neverthdlKSs the Brooklyn men had a. good field of 15 starters. The event was won by P. Harvey, a young runner, starting on the limit mark, and the fastest time \fas put up by R-. Cook, whoso timo was somewhat below tho standard of previous years, as is only to be expected from the inclemency of the weather, and the fact that the' handicappers dealt rather too liberally with tho limit meu. ths Wellington Club found that tho combination of tho distance of tho fiold of action, from town and the miserable day told severely on its muster. Only seven novices saddled up, but the race proved exceedingly interesting, the extension of tho limit to two minutes sustaining the interest right to tiro final stages. Donaldson, tho scratch man, hoisted tho fastest time, being clocked to run 12min. ssee., the previous best being F. Rowberry's 12inin. lOsec., in 1011. With nil deference to Donaldson's sound performance, however, it should bo pointed out that sinco the previous runs over the r course tho Hutt Park has been considcr- ' ably altered, and there can be no doubt ' that the alterations havo in some way ' shortened the old harrier courso. For | which reason comparisons are odious, but 1 this can be said for Donaldson that wliik> ' th 8 abbreviation of tho course favoured ! his making a fast time, it considerably told against his chances in tho more important matter of winning the raw under , review. ■ As it was, he finished fourth, and no doubt had the full distance been 1 covered, would have teen closer up at the * business end. pleasant, with 90 seconds start, won " the'event after a headily run race with G. Wfcston (2min.) second. •V good performance was puit np by It. Fa<rle, who siartcd nearest to the scratch mam ' He had 30sec. start from Donaldson ami finished third, fifteen seconds ahead of him.