NOTES BY AMATEUR.

Owing to matters athletic being in anything but a flourishing condition in Auckland, and Nelson being undesirous to accept the responsibility of running the meeting, the New Zealand Council has allotted the New Zealand amateur championships this year to Otago. -Amateur athletics aio flourishing in Dunedin, -so that it would be strange indeed, given fine weather, if the big meeting cannot be brought to a successful -issue. It seems scarcely necessary to remind readers of this - column that the first of the series of evening athletic meetings of the Dunedin dUnateur Athletic Club will take place on Friday next at the Caledonian Ground. Given fine weather, I anticipate a large attendance at the opening meeting. Through the kind permission of the Dun«edin Amateur Athletic Club the Dunedin Harriers will hold a club race (a one mile and a-half handicap) at the former club's evening meeting to be held at the Caledonian Ground on Friday, the 24th inst. Local athletes will join with me in congratulating Dr Peter Buck,, the ex-New Zealand champion broad jumper, on his appointment^ to. the position of assistant Native health officer. He lias started on an inspection of the Native settlement on the west coast of the North Island. The .sheet submitted to delegates &t the annual meeting of the Wellington Centre showed receipts £30 18s sd, balance from 1903-04, and £21 10s, profit from the Shrubb-Duffey meeting. The main expenditure was in connection with the expenses of the championship team sent .to the. Christchurch meeting. The^ cash balance was 15s Id, which, with -outstanding subscriptions, gave a total balance of £6 16s. To hand from the secretary, copy of the programme " of— - the' South' Canterbury Amateur "Athletic Club's ' first- evening athletic meeting, which is "to be held 'at Timaru on Tuesday,- November 28. Iv addition to Walk Handicap the following- events ' aie -to be decided: —75 Yards Tlat, 220 Yards' Flat, and Half-mile ITlat'. " •!< congratulate- the Management Gommittee o/ the. South Canterbury Athletic Club in (commencing these evening athletic x meetings.' If' run on proper- lines they will prove ~to be of inestimable benefit to athletes, besides creating public interest in the sport. At the meeting of the Board of .Control of the Australasian_Amateur Athletic Union, held after the championship meeting in Sydney, the following records were passed as Australasian best on record: —22o Yards. —N. O. Barker, 21 4-sseo; Sydney Cricket Ground, -April 22, 1905. 880 Yards.—G. A. "Wheatley, Imin 56 4-ssec; St. Luke's Park, Concord, Sydney, April 24, 1905. One Mile.—A. E. Shrubb, 4min 22see; Auckland Domain, April 1, 1905. 880 Yards.— Henry -Suttor, Imin 57 4-ssec; at Bendigo, November 3, 1903. 440 Yards Hurdles, 10-flights, 3ft 6in.—G. »v. Smith, 58 2-ssec; Melbourne Cricket Ground, February 2, 1904. It was decided that the executive be- instructed to 'make all arrangements possible to have Australaisa represented at the Olympian Games, fixed to be held at Rome in 1908. John W. Morton, of the S.L.H., and holder 1 of the English sprint championship, defeated Charles J. Seitz, of the New York A.C., ~in a special scratch 100 yards dash at the annual fall games of the New York A.C., held at Travers Island. During his attempt to beat Morton, Seitz snapped several fibres in the tendon of his right foot, and may- never be able to -compete again. Morton, Seitz, and Northbridge, of the Irish-American A.C., faced the starter in this event, .heralded-as the_ banner shortdistance Tace of the.year. /All field events. •were forgotten-while-the''Spectators .watched . the three take their marks., Seitz got off slightly ahead of'the Englishman, but the . latter caught the* former Georgetown sprinter'before half the^distance had been covered, with Northbridge a yard-behind— * but there were no eyes - for Norfchbridge. Incn. by .inch Morton forged ahead, until a yard from- the tape, he had a 2ft lead, •with Seitz straining every nerve and muscle to catch him. Suddenly the Mercury footer •went all to pieces a scant 3ft from the finish. He staggered as though hit a blow in front. His feet shot, upward and forward, and his bejy backward, but he regained his feet, reeled over the line, and fell in a heap two yards further on. He was carried unconscious ■to N:he dressing rooms, I •where the club physician ascertained that the hurt was serious, and said that Seitz may ho forced to give up the cinder path. Amateur athletes in Otago and Southland ■will be glad to learn that the New Zealand championships will in all probability be decided this year in Dunedin. At the annual general meeting of the New Zealand Council on the 17th inst., it was decided to offer the meeting to the Otago Centre, who, I presume, will gladly accept the opportunity. Nelson was first mentioned as the locale, and then Auckland, but apparently neither could accept ,the meeting. Every effort will, I am sure, be made Sere to achieve success, and it behoves every amateur in the two provinces to do his best to make the 1905-6 meeting a record one. Not only can those who actually- compete assist, but every member of an amateur, club can enlist the active sympathy of his friends to make a big eate Both the council and the centre are •in need of funds; and the opportunity is here ..provided to materially enhance the backing account of both. 'The question of the team to represent Otago for the Championship Shield should command immediate attention. If the meeting is held in Dunedin, a splendid chance will be given us to win the coveted trophy. and full use should be made of' it The suggestion has been made that those likely to represent Otago should be fcaken in hand early under the supervision ■^f some capable trainer, and I .u,ndersian.d

that one gentleman whose knowledge in that all-important matter is of the highest order has offered to give his services fratuitously. There is this season splcnid material here, which if available should ensure success. I tru&t the Otago Centre will take a vigorous hold of the matter and at once. The urgent necessity for field event men referred to by speakers at the annual meeting of the centre should not be lost sight of. That we have promising enough performers in this province is certain. The difliculty seems to be to keep them interested enough to train on. Among the University athletes there are some coming champions whom I hope to see wearing the Otago blue on the day of reckoning. I note that in the programme of the Dunedin Amateur Athletic Club's evening meetings a change has been made in the teams' relay races, which hitherto have been hild over a mile, each man running a quarter. The distances will now be halfmile (each man 220 yds), 400 yds (each man 100 yds), and one mile. While of opinion that the shorter distances will not provide such good races for the spectators, I have no doubt that the change will afford sprinters an. increased opportunity to shine. But while catering for those whoso forte is over "short distances, could not some provision have been made for the long-dis-tance runners? A relay race over a mile in which the first two men run 220 yds. the third 440 yds, and the last man half a mile would prove a good test of the capabilities of a team The Seufch Canterbury Caledonian £>r. ciety, like their neighbours, the Oamaru Society, are making increased provision for amateur runners on their New Year sports programme On Monday, January 1, 1906, there will be four events for amateurs — viz., 100 Yards, 300 Yards, and 440 Yards, and One Mile ; while on the 2nd there will be 120 Yards, 220 Yards, 880 Yards, and One Mile Handicaps. Entries will close vith Mr C S. Fraser en December 27. On December 18 the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club will hold their thirty-fifth annual meeting at Timaru. As a rule several Otago ru&ners take part in this meeting, and I presume this year will prove no exception. In addition to the usual prizes, in the ,440 Yards Flat ladies' bracelets, value £5 5s and £2 2s, will be given, while -a champion challenge cup (value about 80gs) is open for competition. Entries close on December 8 with T. H. Bowie, Box 127, P. 0., Timaru. As a, result of the recent gymkhana and concert 1 , the North Otago Cycling and Amateur Athletic Club are again on a sound financial . footing. The club has been severely handicapped by bad weather, and lack of public interest, but it is hoped a new era of prosperity is at hand. To those untiring workers who have ungrudgingly given their time and money to further the interests of the club, the gratitude of all' amateur sports is due. Oamaru amateur athletics owe much to Messrs J. E. Hood and H. Mowbray. - The Waimate Caledonian Society are putting on their "programme several amavteur events on Boxing Day. It is said that several Dunedin competitors, including -Hector Burk, -will take part in the meeting. The New Zealand Council and the Wellinerton Centre, following in the footsteps of Otago, are beginning a crusade in the provincial districts of the North Island in the hope of establishing amateurism in the smaller- towns. The fight will be an uphill one at first, but consistent endeavour will certainly result in success. Under the heading the "World's Best Stayer," the Athletic News has been publishing the opinions of its readers. Here are some of -the comments: — "I consider A. Shrubb the best runner we have had from two, to, say, eight miles. I stop at eight, because in all his 10-mile races in which I have seen him compete he was invariably held, and often lost' ground in the last two miles. From eight upwards I should say Harry Watkins or W. H. Morton, with a slight preference for the first-named." Says Albert Aldridge, Shrubb's great opponent: — "There has never been a man hke Shrubb to win the Southern Counties, the National, and tho Ten-mile Flat Championships four years in succession." Mr H. A. Crowther- (Leeds) writes : — '• My vote must go to Shrubb. In his early days I well remember he was voiced as an ungainly runner, and I went to see him then, expecting to find a clodhopper; but he filled my eye immediately as one who ran with every sinew of his body elastically in action. I expected great things of him, and haye 1 not been disappointed. To me he is a.- marvel. Although it is hard to part with old favourites like George, Cum"mihgs, "Snook, Parry. Morton, Thomas, Bacon, and others who have established themselves in one's memory, Shrubb, in my opinion, bas outpaced them all as an all-round athlete I have expected him breaking down ere this, for I have never known one who has kept his form and stood consecutively the hard cross-country and path work so long and consistently, and kept bang on the top all the time. He is the wonder of my time. Old Tom Brown, of Casfclcford, and J. Selby, of Leeds, were champions of the first order who never showed their merits to the world. _, Ssys Mr S. J. Cornish. Glasgow: — "Considering the number of records, amateur and piofessional, eclipsed by A. Shrubb, and his marvellous performance over 10 miles last November, he must be regarded as the finest distance runner the world has seen. ' Deerfoot ' and ' Paddy ' Cannon were undoubtedly great runners, so were W. G. George, Willie Cummings, Sid Thomas, E. W. Parry, and W. H. Morton. I consider Parry the finest runner over now country who has ever w.on a championship." C. R. Fausset, the ex-Irish champion, says: — "I consider W. G. George was the finest runner, long distance included, that the world has over seen. This opinion will : doubtless surprise you. In the first place, L-hold that the best man of his day was as good as the best man of any other time, and, secondly, I believe that had W. G. G. and others the opportunity of the runnel's of recent times, he would have far surpassed their doings. For a siirlilar reason I would place Deerfoot second, and only give Shrabb third place It is, however, almost impossible to decide. It is Jike comparing W. G. Graca with Trumpet, Ranjitsinhji. and C. B. Fry." Jiu-jitsu versus French boxing — which allows kicking — ought to prove a lively contest (wires the Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph). Two champions. G. Dubois, and a man who calls himself Re Nic, presumably in order to appear as Japanese as possible, have arranged to fight each other on these lines. The encounter is to oome off in a few clays privately, and is to

be arranged as a duel with seconds. The rules of tho contest sound alarming. Practically, every method of attack will be allowed, except biting and "gouging out the adversary's e;fvs." The ring will measure 37ft square. The umpire will be chosen by the four seconds. Except that hob-nailed boots are forbidden every latitude in drc^s wil be allowed. Re Nic, the jiu-jitsu champion, is a Frenchman uho has lived in London, and there met a Japanese boxer. Miaki, from whom he learnt the art^ He was also under a French boxer, Francois le Bordelais. G. Dubois is a professional French pugilist and kicker. He will employ every kind of blow known either to boxers or to "apaches" — i.e., hooligans. These tricks, usually forbidden, but considered allowable against jiu-jitsu, include butting with the head, tripping up with the hands or feet, wrestling, and kicks in any part of the body. His tactics will be to keep as far out of Relic's reach as possible, and to punish him with kicks the while. Onoe caught, the deadly jiu-jitsu would probably overcome him. The seconds and umpire will stop the fight whenever it becomes brutal. But one fails to see, adds the correspondent, how it ever can be anything else. The suspension of Alfred Shrubb by the Southern Committee of the A.A.A. has aroused (says London Sportsman) an amount of excitement quite out of keeping with the subject. Suspensions of some sort or other for various offences are being passed periodically without attracting special attention. But Shrubb, as a recordholder, is in a class by himself, and so anything in connection with which his name appears calls forth more- than ordinary comment. In the present instance it is rather rough on Shrubb. The penalty imposed on him stands out prominently. With Tom, Dick, or Harry it would be different. They would be sentenced, and there, probably, the matter would end. It is to bepresumed that, now a crusade has been commenced, it will be continued, and the cause of amateur athletics will be advanced accordingly. Of one thing, whether he has infringed any of the A.A.A. laws or not, he can always feel proud : He ran his races as straight as a die— ran to wm, which is more than can be said of the others who have incurred the displeasure of the A.A.A. And again, he has, and probably always will have, some wonderful "bests on record" to his name. At the international sports at btocknolm, at which some very fine performances were accomplished. E. Dahl, of Sweden, won the 1500 metres race in 4mm 20 l-ssec, and the 5000 metres in 15min 4-8 l-ssec. The firstmentioned distance is only about 110 yds short of a mile, and the longer journey is about 300 yards over three miles. Duncker, of Germany, was timed to do the 1-iUyds hurdles in the record time of 15 4-ssec. P. Weinstein, another German, did well m the High Jump, which he won at sft 7m, and the Englishman, H. M?U*nder, did excellently at long- jumping (21ft 5m , and also at the quarter-mile (53sec), while the Swede, H. Lindguisel, of Sweden, won the 110 Yards Race in 10 9-10 sec. A magnificent walking performance bj G E Lamer (Brighton and County Harriers') was the outstanding feature of the London Athletic Club's autumn gathering at Stamford Bridge grounds recently. Starting with the avowed object of cutting existing records for one hour and for eigni, miles respectively, this fine young walker succeeded in both, and in addition won the handicap framed for him outright. Lamer started off at so terrific a pace that he received a caution from the judges, and at once settled down into a perfectly tailstyle. At the fifth mile (36mm 0 l-ssec\ he got inside record, and remained in advance till the finish, completing six miles in 43min 26 l-ssec, seven miles in 50mm 50 4-ssee, eight miles in sSmin 18 2-ssee, and covering in the hour the marvellous distance of 8 miles 439 yards. This beats all records, amateur or professional. It is recorded of an athlete in the employ of the Prince or Baroda that he leaped, without the aid of a pole, over five elenhants standing side by side, the «sne in centre with a s;ood-siz>ed superstructure of cushions and umbrellas on his back, and that when complimented by an Ena'lfeh visitor he replied: "Why, that's nothing. I am forty-five years old; you ought to have seen roe jump when I was twenty." But he would have found an ugly competitor in the British Joe Ireland, a native of Beverley in Yorkshire, where he frequently diverted his fellowcitizens by leaping over a string held fourteen feet high, and thought nothing of kicking aSbladder hanging sixteen feet from the ground. We have the record of a Suabian groom who was able to support the weight of two horses by seizing with his hands a oross beam over the door of his master's stable, and twisting his fest about a rope connecting tho bellybands of the two animals ; but even he would find it hard to imitate the exploits of Thomas Topham, of Surrey, who "carried rocks which few other other men could roll along the ground," and once shouldered a sentry-box, containing 1 a stove, a bench, and a sleeping watchman, and carried his burden to a suburban cemetery. But it was not alone in prodigious feats of strength that our countrymen delighted to exceil. Ancient records show us that on one occasion (at least) an Englishman carried off the prize (a gold rina) in an international contest between representatives of the French and English nations at a "grinning" contest. And of all the honours wooi by his people perhaps this was the least appreciated by "John Bull. Then we have various contests, including sleeping for a prize, whistling, wrestling, cudgelling, yawning, and that barbarous old "sport" cock-fighting, which though prohibited by law. remains in favour in some benighted parts of England even to-day. An Auckland telegram states that the contest for the wrestling championships resulted as follows:— Light-weight, R. Leslie; middleweight, L. D. M'lvor; light heavy-weight, T. J. Burke; heavy-weight, T. J. Burke.