BURK v. TREMBATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 62

BURK v. TREMBATH.

THE MATCH OFF. {From Otjb Qyrs Co&besfondxnt.)

GORE, February 7. The feeling of the athletic section of the Gore public is very much opposed to the test match between Burk and W. F. Trembath taking place at the present juncture. It is urged that the match should hay« taken plaoe before the team was selected for the Australian visit. Trembath has nothing to gain and everything to lose by running the match now. H : s defeat of Burk would not add to his athletio iij-:;-tion, while his defeat on the eve of his departure for Australia would seriously affect it. TTembath gave his consent to the match while returning from Wellington, and is eager for it. but in deference to the wishes of hie father and> the local public and in view of the fact-'' that ha has already on several occasions competed at ' meetings where Burk was billed to appear, he has declined to meet the Dunedin runner at present. To-night the following" wire was sent by him to the eecfe'tary of the Dnnedin Amateur Athletio Club : — " Gore public and my > father consider" Burk match should have been held prior to the selection of the team. Therefore it cannot eventuate until my return, from Hobart."

CONFERENCE OF CENTRES. - WELLINGTON, February 1. A conference of the New Zealand Athletio Association Centres was held to-day. Representatives were present from Southland, Otago, Canterbury, South Canter-

bury, and Wellington. Mr J. H. Pollock (chairman), in the course of his address, eulogised the work that had been done by the various centre*. He regretted that the Auckland Centre bad not given evidence of activity since last conference, and the fact that it was not represented at to-day'e conference was ominous. He urged that amateur athletic bodies should follow the footsteps of the Trotting Association, and relegate the making and amending oi all- ruloa to a. -conference of the centres, leaving the council to act as administrators only. He paid a tribute to the new Gaming Act. Mr W. Coffey (Wellington) disapproved of the, chairman introducing matters as a private individual not relative to the meeting. A motion by Wellington Centre that caps and badges should be charged against the New Zealand Council was carried. It was ako decided that the council should bearhalf the cost of championship meetings. A motion by the Wellington Certre that chalk bo substituted for wooden board as the take-off for the long jump was negatived on the voices. A motion was carried that, in the opinion of the conference^ the rule relating to the election of the New Zealand Council by centres shall remain as at present — viz., " that the New Zealand <k>unoil -shall consist of nine members, elected annually by the combined votes of the centres" — in place of the proposed new rule of the association that eeren members shall be elected by the centres, and the council shall then appoint two outside members a* president and vice-president.

A runaway motor cajr created considerable excitement and no little amusement in Palmerston on Wednesday, sth inst. (says the Times). The car had been left unattended, and- a precocious small boy who " wanted to see the wheels go round " manipulated the starting lever with the result that the oar moved off and, after | describing a half-circle, dashed into Mr I Oswald's shop at the corner of the Arcade. Fortunately the car missed tho windows, but -a quantity of plaster was brought down and several bricks ware dislodged. Th« cat escaped with a bxakrw-v lamj^.