RELAY CYCLE RIDING. AN INTERESTING PLAN.

Evening Post, Volume LII, Issue 93, 10 September 1896, Page 6

RELAY CYCLE RIDING. AN INTERESTING PLAN.

The relay cyclists' ride from Sydney to Melbourne, which is being promoted under the patronage of the Governors of New South Wales and Victoria, will probably take place about the end of this month. In the ride the cyclists will carry a despatch from Lord Hampden to Lord Brassey, and the ,ride will start and finish at the residences of the Governors of, the respective colonies. Mr. Percy Hunter, who is promoting the ride, arrived in Sydney lately, accompanied by Messrs. T. D. Scott and C". B. Kellow, of Melbourne. The work of the party had been to mark out the sections in 20 mile stages, appoint riders and timers, 1 and make other necessary arrangements. Instead of following the ordinary route from Albury around Gormanton and Guudagai, it was decided to follow the road along the railway line, which takes in the towns of Wagga, Junee, Cootamundra, Murrumburrah, and Harden, all of which are strong cycling centres. The idea of the ride is to establish a cycling communication between the capitals which could be availed of in the event of a cessation of all other communication. Every 20-mile stage along the route has been marked with a calico* sign denoting the number of the section, and the fences have been painted at tho ends of the sections with the legend " A.C.R.R. Section — starts. Section — finishes." Timers and riders will wait at these points until the despatch arrives, when watches will be stopped^ and the relay sent on. The first man will probably start from Sydney at daylight, and the despatch will then be carried on day and night till it reaches Government House, Melbourne. With favourable weather the despatch should go "through in about 35 or 40 hours. Owing to the difficulty in picking out the new route, the touring party were lost in the bush on several occasions. These difficulties will not, however, be encountered by the local rider,*.

Tho Triad for Soptombor contains muoh interesting reading matter, and offers .£lO in prizes for the best short story, the best black and/vrhite drawing, tho best specimen of amatour photography, &c. The Triad itself is enlarged to 32 pages.

The Municipal elections to-day are exciting little interest. The results will be posted on our publishing office window about 6.30 o'clock. Mr. A. K. Blundell, who has been Stock Inspector in the Manawatu district for three years and nine months, received intimation yesterday (says to-day's Standard) of his promotion to Wanganui, where he shortly bikes the position recently vacated by Mr. Hull. It is understood that Mr. R. Kearney, stationmaster at Kaitoke, is to be transferred to Opanake, Kaihu Valley Railway, and is to be replaced by Mr. Jones, of New Plymouth. The Postal Department has been advised that the colonial' mails which left Auckland on Bth August arrived in London yesterday (9th September)^ due date. We have to thank Lady Atkinson for special facilities afforded to our representatives from time to time for telephoning to our publishing office the results of matches played at the Athletic Park. A noteworthy innovation is made in connection with the Thorndon Ward election to-day, in that two young ladies — Miss Ames and Miss Buck — are assisting the Returning Officer (Mr. R. H. Chinchen) in the capacity of poll clerks. We believe this is the first time in the history of the colony that members of the fair sex have occupied such a position. Lady Stout has consented to present the prices at the Wellington Rowing Club's "social" in Thomas's Hall on Wednesday next. A very large gathering is expected, for which most complete arrangements have been made. At last night's meeting of St. Mary's Branch of the Hibernian Society, Sister Robinson (President) in the chair, four candidates were initiated and four more proposed. 25The Maniototo Farmers' Club has resolved that it strongly resents the continued injustice to Central Otago's interests through the continued imposition of the special rate on certain goods carried on the Otago Central Railway; and it strongly protests against the absurd contention that the Otago Central Railway is a branch line. An official despatch from Japan states that the recent tidal wave on the north-east coast washed away 7475 houses and destroyed 26,999 lives, chiefly in the Prefecture of Iwate. The number of persons injured is 25,237. Mr. Janus Runciman, of Brighton, who died on Saturday last, was another of the old settlers of Otago, having come to the colony in 1853. The deceased and his brother purchased the Kaikorai Flour and Oatmeal Mills, with which he was connected for 33 years, retiring in 1892. For a number of years he was Mayor of Green Island. His death was due to a fall from his trap. At an inquest at Woodlands, Otago, on, the body of a man named Chas. Clare, who had died after drinking very heavily, the jury returned a verdict that deceased met his death from natural causes, accelerated by his own act in taking an overdose of whisky, and that no blame attached to anyone else. An action in which damages are assessed at £500 is set .down for hearing at Dunedin on the 14th instant. On the 30th of July James Clark was charged with the larceny of £2 from his employers, Messrs. Scoullar and Chisholm. One of the principal witnesses for the prosecution was Alfred Taylor, sen., then in the employ of the same firm. The charge was dismissed, and Clark is now claiming damages from Taylor. The work of erecting the new derrick at the Moturoa oil works is (says the Taranaki Herald) proceeding rapidly. Every precaution is being taken to minimise the risk of fire in future. The new boiler-housa is situated some distance from the derrick, and arrangements will be made to supply artificial light from outside the derrick when nighf; shifts are worked. On Thursday the bore was tapped, and about 240 gallons of pure oil, unmixed with water, was ru* off. As water began to show itself with the oil, the bore was then plugged again. The directors have arranged to procure a detailed report on the prospects of the bore from Mr. G. C. Fair, of Queensland, who has had long experience in petroleum horing in Canada and Roumania. A notification to the members of Mr. M'Glashan's orchestra appears in another column. As the date of the Caledonian concert is now definitely fixed, a full attendance of the members at rehearsal is revested. A Travellers' Sample Sale to the front again. Mr. C. Smith, the Cash Draper, Cubastreet, has again purchased from the wellknown Glasgow merchants and manufacturers the whole of their season's samples, amounting to over i:700, and will offer them for tho next seven days at a very small advanc^ on Glasgow prices. The samples consist of ladies' blouses, jackets, capes, macintoshes, elderly ladies' mantles and capes, umbrellas, parasols, stockings, gloves, belts, towels, quilts, afternoon tea cloths, ladies' night drosses, chemises, knickers, divided skirts, cycling 1 tights, men's hats, caps,Jbraces, scarves, socks, men's drawers and singlets, wool drawers and under vests, tennis and crickot shirts and jackets. Tho salo will positively last seven days only, commencing to-morrow morning, at C. Smith's, the Cash Draper, Cuba-street. — Advt.