FORESTERS’ FETE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4302, 5 January 1875, Page 3

FORESTERS’ FETE.

! TO THE EDITOR. . . Sir, —Having 1 seen a letter in yesterday morning s Issue, signed “James Moran," as. secretary of the Foresters' fete, I wish to say a word or two. Mr. Moran says that any one who saw the raco could prove that the spiking of Skellie was accidental. I wish tho public to undarstand that nine out of ten were of opinion tbat it was no accident. Moran then wont on to'remark that tho running ground • was' rough and the turns so abrupt, that the most ■ careful of running might make a false step as he did. How, sir, look at the day our sports was held and the , day the Caledonian committee held their sports. There was.no spiking on the latter, for why? Because the committee of the Caledonian Society gave the competitors to understand that any one spiking a Gl^apetitor would forfeit his prize money. He also fy’stea that I Informed him that I had paid Mr. Skellie the - “ittm of .£2 lOa. 1- deny that.- The chairman of the committee informed him that the committee had awarded Mr. SkftlUe the first prize and Mr, Moran the second. Mr. Moran also observes that we could have 'made Mr. Skellie a present trim .the funds of the society, I am only sorry that he has not read the rules of tho society, of which. .1 believe he is a member. Hoping that the decision arrived ot is satisfactory,— , I am, &c. t K. Tomsv, Hon, Sec. Fete Committee. TO THE EDITOR. , Sir.—l am clad Mr. Moran has written to you about the Skellie affair, because his letter is strongly confirm" tnry nf the opinion I formed in regard to tho occurrence.' Ho appeals to those who saw tho race to substantiate his innocence. I cannot say that Ms letter assists me to this conclusion at all. I agree that “ the course is so rough and the turns so abrupt that the most careful of runners may make a false stop," but this apology does not help Mr. Moran, for neither tho turns nor the roughness of tho course had anything whatever to do with Skellie being maimed. The “spiking’' took place at the back of tho course, opposite the grand-stand, in tho middle of the only piece of straight running to be found in the whole •220 yards. If Mr. Moran wants public sympathy he is not likely to get it by garbling facts in this manner. From pure love of the thing I have been running at athletic meetings in various parts of the colony for ten years past, but after being crippled for two months by one of these “most careful of runners," I have decided to run no more, on the Basin Reserve at any rate. —I am, &c., G, Fisher.