ATHLETIC.

NOTES.

(By SPRINTER.)

Mr E. S. Marka 4 honorary' e'ecretary-

treasurer of the Amateur Athletic Union of Australasia, attended the meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association on Friday evening last, and in the course 'of a" slight ; unofficial "talk" he threw a damper on the prospects of success in regard 'to the Council's proposal to invite a team of champion athletes to visit the colonies at the end. of. the year. Owing to .a misunderstanding in correspondence between the sub-committee and the steamship company, the latter had only quoted the expenses of single fares,; while the, sub-committee had been working 'on the assumption that the price given comprised return rates. In the first instance the Australian Associations .were asked to guarantee £60, but on the recent revelation in respect to passage-money' coming up they were ' communicated with, asking* if they could double the. amount. Questioned by the chairman as to the likelihood of' their doing so, Mr Marks said lhat the prospects were very doubtful. In the case of New South Wales, twelve gentlemen had personally guaranteed th« '•mount, and he thought that the limit had been reached. Athletics in Sydney at the present time, he said, were far from being \n a prosperous state. He had heaVd before he left Sydney that Queensland had declined to guarantee, and, to put the matter plainly, be did not think New South Wales cduld go on under the circumstances. Athletics were not in ship-shape order there »t present j owing to a rearrangement of the system of government, and only one meeting could be organised jn the State, •nd that in Sydney, as there were no outride clubs. There was the probability of > club being formed shortly at Newcastle, tut there, was no likelihood of ite being «ble to run a big meeting a 6 present. He totally deprecated the idea of the Association communicating with' the Sydney Summer.; Nights' Amusement Company, in order to get it to undertake the arrangement, of meetings in the Commonwealth, as such action would be %trimental to the interests, and against the principle, of amateur sport. After .hearing Mr Marks's gtatement the Council decided that a special aneeting to consider the matter should ba at , once convened on the receipt of detfnite information from Australia. It is ,%o be feared that the state of affairs will lead to the abandonment of the project. : At a meeting of the Otago Centre of the VUew Zealand Amateur Athletic Association last Friday evening the secretary reported having received the following guarantees •nd donations towards the proposed visit «>f world's champion athktes : — Otago Bngby Football Union £25 (guarantee), P.A.A.C. £10 10s, Civil Service Harriers £5, Dunedin Harriers £5, University Har- . tiers £2 2s. A subscription list was sent tound the table, and a sum of 6gs was contributed by the delegates.- A promise was

•Iso received from the V.M.C.A. Harriers

Mr Harry Pearce, whose name is well1| known in wrestling circles throughout Aus■fv tralasia, arid also in many other parts of §:. the world, called fcb see me the other day tj, prior to commencing his engagement with ?|Messrs Fuller and Sons, at Christchuroh /^Opera House. Pearce, who has justcom>|leted » three-weeks season ia' Wellington I with the well-known r entertainm€nt-pro- •-■•• Tiding firm, ha^ during that period,

bouts with many of the best men in the North Island, as well as Scott, of Westland, the champion of New Zealand, and he is of opinion that he met in the raw material the makings of champions. His stay here will last for about, three weeks, and he hopes that he is vouchsafed .during that period the chance of meeting the best ithat there is in the province Pearce has beaten every champion that has been imported to Australia, and among those with whom he has tried conclusions' xnight.be mentioned Andre Christol ("The. Masked Man. of Paris"), whom he wrestled for th© middle-weight championship of the world at the Apollo Hall, Melbourne, in June, 1887; Lucifer, champion of America, at catch- as-catch-can, at Perth. (W.A.), in 1898; JEsop, champion. Afghan wrestler; Combo Singh, champion of India ; Charles Watson, champion of Canada; and Mass* Singh (who was brought specially from India to upset Pearce), for a £400 stake. Pearce was engaged in India last year, and he won the Sultan of Johore's gold cross against the pick of his wrestling school of thirty members. On leaving India he journeyed. to Ceylon, where he wrestled Mahbool khan for the championship of that island, and achieved the honour, against . such a redoubtable opponent as a man who had been | capable of downing Donald Dinnie and Duncan C. Rose. Pearce also mentioned that Christol, who was also numbered amongst those he had defeated, had.pfevjously wrestled a four Jioxirs" draw -for ta«' championship of the world with. Clarence Whistler,- who was ' looked upon as tlhe king of wrestlers, and had defeated Professor Miner. Eugene Kneebone, champion, of Australia, who had also conquered l/inniei Ross, Harry Dunn, and other shining lights of the wrestling world, nadrUkewise to cry enough, as well a«, numerous others Beyond detail. In addition to his wrestling feats, Pearce also holds the heavy-weight lifting and the club swinging championships of Australia. Pearce has altogether contested over three hundred wTestliflg matches, and has never been defeated, and he can say that in no bout of his career haa he injured a man, which he thinks justly proves •his claim to the title of being a scientific wrestler. Pearoe has just finished an engagement with Mr Harry Rickareja at Sydney Tivbli, where he was wrestling partner to Caakeek. Asked as to Carkeek's capabilities, he said that he was one of the best who had visited Australia, especially, at catoh-as-catch-can. In spite of the .proximity of the annual examinations, the Canterbury College students still continue to take an active interest in athletic* They intend holding a paperchase next Saturday, as a preparation for the cress-country race for Professor Haslam's prize. This latter event. will be, decided on, September 3,' and shouldproduce some interesting sport. I understand the course will be ; laid ;; . ■ over \xe&X country, and; that -the. •distance will b© ; nothing short of five miles. . •.*

Thomas Colquitt, the world's champion jumper, ha© arrived in Aiistralia, under' engagement to Messft Wirth Bros., the w«2l--known circus "proprietors. ' ' '

The,. International Olympic Committee, which, met in London in the latter part of June, decided that the celebration of the fourth: Qlynipiadj; X9OB, should be entrusted to the City of Rome. : It 'wa»'il^o resolved that an International ■■ Athletic Congress should, be convened in Brussels in v the month of June, 1905, under the patronage «f the King of the Belgians. • .«, Messrs Gale and Polden, London, have published a new . book by Eugen Sandc-w, entitled " Body Building : The Man in the Making." The book contains Physical Culture and its Growth ; The Royal Commission ; My System ©escribed ; Physical Culture, its use and abuse ; Curative Physical Culture Exercise for Health. Also, some illustrated exercise* for indigestion, developing the arms and shoulders, development of the chest, abdominal complaints, the prevention of appendicitis, constipation, liver troubles, lateral curvature, developing the lower parts of the body, etc.

Shrubb, the great amateur pedestrian, goes on his way rejoicing and adds fresh laurels to his surprising records every time he sets 'foot on a running track ' (says a writer in the June number of " Apollo's Magazine"). Since the great race with Appleby at Stamford Bridge, where he was. defeated, Shrubb has risen to the highest pinnacle of fame. Appleby remains no higher and no lower, with far fewer attempts to his credit than have fallen to th« lot of Shrubb. The impression abroad waa that he would maintain his prestige. It is now very easily realised by experts