ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 526, 5 June 1909, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

■'•'"■ ■'• : ' l '--.-; ■ (Br Mercobt:) '-■;.■■-;:.•■' .'■>'"'.■ '■■■''' " ; ■. : - ■ .- • ■;■ ■;■.•■ <iV-v" :'■..•■' August 18 and 21.—Australasian' Champion- ■'.-• .iships, Brisbane. .- , V\' : '-"■"■.'■' ;;; " ■'.'■ • Mr..'Arthur Marryatt, the acting-honorary secretary-of the N.Z.A.A.A. Counoil, has-re-ceived an; interesting letter ■ from> Mr. >R." Codnibes,' touching the oouhoil's recent decision to ■;endeavour to : seouro. direct representation for the Dominion on the Olyinpio" International Committee.'.';' This a'otion. of the counoil has been greatly misunderstood in some ■quarters; 1 one of the oentres. apparently^fearing ttiat:a sevoranoe from the Australasian"' Union; was contemplated. As Mr.' Coombes is the. Australasian representative on the International Committee, his explanation of the situation is authoritative,! and will throw the , neoessary light'ion;tho dark places. ' ''!',■ !'.'' -.■•■' ' He writesi—"The. , International is a cdmmittco, of individuals, and not of>;delegates representing associations. 'J 'mean by. this that some representative man has been chosen from each or 'nation,' and he alone is recognised.. This mail is supposed to in turn form an Olympio Council in his own country, tho said counoil to do nil the work- of seleoting and.flnanojng. : teame, he be , - ing the channel through which- all communis oationa'go. . -..- . Out.here there are, so far, nq Olympic committee's in' Australia and New Zealand. With regard to Australia,.l am writing, the Amateur Sports Federations in New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania, to booome;Olympio committees in-thoir own States.' . In-.'.Queensland, South Australia, and .Western I Australia (where there are'no federations), I must endeavour to get a few prominent sportsmen to form themselves into committees."; "Dealing with New Zealand, Mr. Coombes has two suggestions to make. He says:' "Your people can form a New Zealand Olympio Committee. (I- have power to form euoh a body), which can take over the whole, of the'control of Olympic business in the. Dominion, selecting and flnanoing its own teams, with myself remaining as heretofore your representative on tho International Committee, or you can go on' jour own -, entirely, with your own Olympio Committee and your owa representative,, ot course provided that the present members of the International Committee agree. Tho addition vof- representatives •' to., tho "Internationa! Committee is rather a';''long-winded' affair. I would havo to apply to the president (Baroii Pierre de Coubertin) for tho Dominion to bo recognised as a separate ' 'country,' and I would have to nominate a, representative for New Zealand. On receipt of-.- my' letter tho president would have-to take a mail vote of 22 nations and, as you can, imagino,. this takes some time." This makes" the-position quito clear, but, as Mr. Coombes points out later in the same letter,' the 1 New Zealand representative wonld reqiiiro' to bo appointed by the governing bqdios of all amateur sports bodies in the Dominion, as ho would represent; hot only tho amateur athlotio Bection df tho community, but all kindred sports—rowing, football, cricket, etc. The icouncil has now something definite to work on, and will,' hb' doubt, proceed with the matter when the more pressing business in hand is disposed of. ' The most pressing matter in this business "would appear.to be the. reoovery; of tho books and tissots of the connoil from Wγ. Ataok or 'his counoil.' Declining to hand; over these cffeots is incomprehensible in the extreme, and must alienate whatovor' sympathy on aooount of his recont deposition may havo gone out for the erstwhile prosidont. It is. (significant that, at tho counoil meeting on Monday night, tho most swopping condemnation of this'obstinacy camo from a Christchurch delegate. The aid of the law is now to bo invoked to'endeavour to bring those recalcitrant ptopl* to reaun and, u th« ooun-

ml'« pitient efforti to bring »bont a eoneflj* tory settlement have failed, it to bow justifiable to hope thatlrterner measure will »pe«dily prevail. Fourteen entries hare been reoeSred for the Harriers' Novice Handicap, w.hich. is to be oided at. the Hutt Park Baoeoouno thifl after-, noon.' Of the entrants only four are last season'e men, the remainder haying joined the olub within the past two' months. Handicaps for the race have been declared as follow;— W. Chartres, F. Hodson, and E. S. Forne (sot.); W. Tall (tec.); V. Reynolds (10seo.)| W. Power, (WsecJ; G. Whincop (2BseoO; W. White (SOsec); E A.- Westwood, C. Anyon, U. M'Dowall, and C. Lightband (45sec); E. Lyons, R. Myers, and E, Robinson (GOsoo.). A distance of about two miles and a quarter is to be negotiated, and a dose racs is expected. Messrs. F. Ross and Stuart Robinson will act as judges, As a .result of the transfer of a batch of Permanent Artillerymen from Wellington to Lyttelton the' Harriers have lost one of their most promising men, in the person of W. Harvey, ■ who, during 'the past unmmer, was conspicuous in a number of middle-distance races at local meetings, Harvey'e best performance was that on New Tear's Day, wh«n ho was beaten in-the lent few yards for the Mile Provincial Championship. Since the opening of the harrier 'season, he has been very prominent throughout the rnns, and has always been handy at tho business end of the "runin." ■ '. "■'■ • > .'■■'■■ ■ . ; ■'■ :

In place of the usual paper-chase,., runners will to-day indulge in a go-as-you-please "spin" on the'old racecourse after the novtee race has been disposed of. The ; change to the flat going should 'bo welcomed after . the succession of mountaineering, exploits,""to., whioh the longsuffering harrier has been treated of late, but on which, strange to relate, he seems to thrive like the green bay tree. . • ,' On April 17, at Maritzburg, South Africa, both R. E. Walker, .the gTcat sprinter, and.V.. Dunoker, hurdler, rtere oredited with good performances. .The former won his heat in 100 yards in 9 course,' from ecratoh— but could get no; better than fourth, in the final, through getting aWay badly. In a paced attempt on the 120 hurdles record, Dunoker was timed to equal the world's best—ls; l-sseo; —a truly great performance, but one, however, that oonld not be recognised in Australasia, ae it was not achieved in. a competition, and pace-makers'were used: .' •■ " ' '.'. ■'. Writing tho Sydney "Referee", under . date April 2, Mr. H. D.. Mlntosh, of- phgilistio fame, states that he is negotiating with Dorando, Hayes, and Longboat for an Australasian tour, and has hopes of bringing ;this great Marathon;,team, out. towards the end ,of the. year..;.' ''" . '■■'' ,-' -~\ .•' ■; / ..■," ■■:"; ■;■. ., '•■". .