ATHLETIC.

NOTES. (By SPRINTER.) ' The challenge of R- J. Scott, the well- , known New Zealand wrestler, to wrestle Buttan Singh, the Hindu, who is recognised as champion of Australia, has been accept- i cd. . . ; It is said that, owing to business engagements, H. Murray, the Dunedinite, will be unable to go on training. If this turns out to be true Otago will lose one of ite best distance performers. A match betweeny the two well-known Auckland runners, Edwards and Huckstep, has. been arranged. It will take place on February 17, on the Domain, and will be over half a mile for £25 m side. A recent visitor from Napier, who is intimate with L. C. M'Lachlan, tells me he does , not think the ex-professional champion will | race again, considering it unlikely that he could again regain his old form. All the same, the erstwhile flier keeps himself in grand health by systematic physical culture, and the unexpected, therefore 1 , might happen at any time. lam afraid it will be some time hefoTe we again have a cham- ' pion of M'Lachlan's calibre; from lOOyds to half-a-mile he was the finest run&er I have ever seen. A thoroughly sportsmanlike action- was that of the Christchurch Cycling Club, in voting two guineas to the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, towa-rds the expenses of sending a New Zealand' representative team to Australia. The amount, of course, is not large, but at the present juncture it must be very welcome, and it gives a very pleasawt pijpof that the club in question possesses a true conception of the ideals that should animate every , sports body. I am glad to add that the New Zealand Boxing Association has followed ihis excellent leaid, and has made a similar donation. The Wairarapa Caledonian Society made a profit of about £60 over its last sports meeting. The Society has £200 in the bank. The Southland Athletic Association, at a meeting held last week, decided that it could not see its way to affiliate with the Association of Caledonian Societies, but would be willing to enter into reciprocal relations with that body. The Oamam Caledonian Society has decided to increase the sahxry of its secretary and handicapper' to £50 per year. This amount is more than earned by the present occupant of the position, Mr R. L. Rule. At the Wanganui Caledonian Society's -rports, on January 22, the feature of the athletic events was the fine running of a Victorian visitor, H. Todd, who won the lOOyds, 220 yds and 440 yds, his times being respectively lOsec,' 22see and 50sec. •Frank Forde, the Caledonian champion athlete, a few- years ago could clear sft 9in at the high* .jiimp, but now it, takes him all his time to get to sft 6in. This is probably due to his having given attention to wrestling amd other field games, and to having increased in weight. He is a very ugly jumper, but has the usuful knack of balancing his body in mid-air. Thus, withont springing very high, he gives his whole fcodv a roll, and lands over the bar, while another competitor, after springing several inches higher would probably have knocked it down. This, of course, is the secret of success at high jumping. Tani, the Japanese wrestler, is to come to Australia nnder engagement to Harry Rickarde. . The English Amateur- Athletic Association has appointed a sub-committee to revise its competition laws. At the annual dinner of the "London Athletic dub, the remarks of the princpal speakers dealt mainly with the fact. that the club's lease of the, Stamford Bridge ground expired in June, and that the property would then, be put up for sale. Two courses were open to the clvb — to procure a new ground or join in with some other club already possessing a ground. At a meeting of the English Amateur Athletic Association, the following records were .passed :— A.- Shrubb's mile and a half, 6min 47 3-ssec, at theL.A.C. Sports, Stamford Bridge, September 26, 1903: A: Shrubb's two miles, 9min 17sec, fyt tho S L H. Sports at Kennington Oval, September 12', 1903 ; A. Shrubb's three miles, 14min 17 3-ssec, at the S.L.H. Sports, Stamford Bridge, May 21, 1903. - . Permanent endowment of athletics an<_ abolishing charges of admission to all football and other intercollegiate athletic games in the West is proposed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago (saysf the Chicago "Record-Herald"), For several months the plan, to do away with the admission charges, at the University of Chicago by endowing athletics has been imder consideration 'before the Faculty Atihtio iso-*>rd of Control and the Board of Trustees. The plan is new in athletics, the only approach to it being in the management of the Artm-y-Niivy games. "We believe that many of the admitted evils of athletics arise from the- fact that the item of gate receipts enters into the problem," said Dr Harper. While not officially stated, it is estimated thatthe endowment for athletics at th© University of Chicago would have to yield an amrjual revenue of £300Q, necessitating a .permanent fund of £7 V 5,000 or imore. It is understood that not only the Chicago business men -oni the Board aro . 'especially interested, but also John D. Rockefeller, jun. t the active patron of the University. The English amateur championships this year will be held at Rochdale. Last. year's meeting showed* a profit of about £40.