ATHLETICS.

Evening Star, Issue 12902, 27 August 1906, Page 2

ATHLETICS.

TO THE EDITOtt. Sir, —In this week's athletic notes the Dunedin Harriers' Port Chalmers Road Race is set down as the cause of the poor entries received from the several clubs for the ten-mile _ race promoted by' the Civil Servica Harriers, and I would crave your permission to point out one or two things not touched on in the notes in question. First, _ the Dunedin Harriers' Part Road Race is an established race, and is held in the beginning of Septenber every year. Second, the Otago Centre instituted the Teams Race last August, and intended •carrying out the same every year. Third, the Civil Service Club, knowing the above two raess to be annual fixtures, when arranging for a date for their race (only instituted this year), "selected" a date between the two races already mentioned. That a club doing this would be taking a risk is,plainly seen, and one would have expected the C.S. Committee to have rnd enough forethought to have looked ahead. The original date fixed by the Dunciin Harriers ata committee meeting some time ago for their race was September 1, and it was altered to the 15th September after the Civil Service Committee had settled their date, so as not to clash with the now fixture. That the Dunedin Harriers recognised the race, and wore pleased to see a sister club instituting a new fixture is seen in their modo of procedure when nctificJ of the race by tho C.S. Club, for when arranging their present syllabus they set the day aside for the race, holding no club run, so that membors could outer and attend the race, and they asked their members to join in the event, as you will see from the enclosed syllabus. The question of the license fee remitted for the Port Road Race is another strong point of the argument, and as tho licenso oxpires on Soptember 30 it meant that men entering their first open event of tho year were to pay for a year's licenso which would only he of use for a fortnight. Again, is it not better to encourage new men to enter races and como out on the track than to give them cause to complain and be dissatisfied? A little encouragement often gains a lot of enthusiasm, and in tho best interest of sport in general a remission of a fortnight must tell in the next year. Other remarks were written about the D.H. in the article, but I do not intend taking up your spaco answering them, as I rogard them as the out-come of a narrow policy, and tho popularity of the D.H. will not be affected by such remarks. —I am, etc., DuxEDEf Harmer. August 25.