NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10412, 9 April 1897, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

As the home of athletes capable of holding their own with the representatives of any country in tbe world, New Zealand has already won a splendid reputation, The team of footballers sent to the old country eomo years ago, carried almost) everything before them, and subsequently our pedestrian representatives, in spite of many unfavourableoiroumstances, proved themeelves competitors nob to be despised by the best that England could produce. In those times, cycling had not taken that strong hold upon those devoted to athletics which is such a marked feature of tbe present day, and New Zealand competitors have not as yet tried conolusione with English athletes in this branoh of manly eport. However, the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club, with their accustomed enterprise, are now taking steps to send home a man in the hope of malting a name for New Zealand in this respecb also, and no one will be surprised to hear thab their choice has fallen upon E. Reynolds, one of tbe moat successful and popular cyclists in the colony. Ib is intended thab he should compete at the World's Amateur Championehip Cycling Carnival to be held ab Glasgow in August next The Club have generously offered to contribute the sum of £50 towards the expenses of tho undertaking, but ib is anticipated that nearly £200 will be required, and they intend to appeal to the liberality of Auckland citizens for the balance. Outdoor sports have always been so popular in this city, and tbe cil-i----zons of Auckland have in the past taken such pride in the many successes of our athletic representatives that there should not be any serious difficulty in raising the required sum.

Reynolds is certainly the best man available. He is the amateur champion of the colony, and for some years p.isthe has carried all before him in amateur events, and his recent victories at the Cyclists' Alliance Championship Meeting stamp him as the fastest amateur rider in the colony at the present time. When he was only seventeen years of age Reynolds came oub and won his maiden race at Auckland, but it was not till 1892 thab he left this city to compete against the Southern riders. In December of that year he visited Christchurch, and won two or three sprint events, and in January of the following year he went to Dunedin for the purpose of competing in the amateur championship!. Hayward (Christchurch) won all the championships, and Keynolds tecured three seconds and two thirds. He afterwards competed at Napier, winning the Half-mile Championship, the other distances falling to Fither. Reynolds appoaw to hare taken the tatter's place in amateur cyclist ranks, and it is questionable if there is a man in the colony at the present time (oaeh or amateur) capable of lowering hie colours. It is confidently hoped that a rider with such a splendid record w>ll not fail to give a good account of himself in any part of the world.

The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry appointed to investigate the Transraal Raid is Mr. W. L. Jackeon, M.P., who is popular with all sections of the House, He is a Leeds man, who " made a pile" as a manufacturer, and then turned his attention to politics. Twenty years ago Leeds was a Liberal stronghold, and when Air. Jackson conteeted it as a Conservative in 1876, he was 3000 behind. When he next fought, in 1880, ho was successful, and Leeds has been faithful to him ever since. He held minor offices in Conservative Ministries until 1892, when, to the surprise of outsiders, Mr. Balfour retired from the Irish Secretaryship, and Mr. Jackson succeeded him. He proved a businesslike and conciliatory official, and the Irish members were very cordial towards him. Hβ is a director of the G.N. Railway, and is 66. His son waa captain of the Cambridge eleven.

Dr. Louis Bell, an American scientist, has recently published an article with the object of showing the wonderful expansion of electric power in his country, especially for purposes of transportation. In ISB4 eleotrio lighting was in general use there, and by the autumn of 1886 it was estimated that there were 110 fewer than 5000 electric motors in use in the United States. About the same period—in fact, less than 10 years ago— electric railways began to be considered as possibly a practical invention, and shortly after there were nine electric railways in operation, aggregating 35 J miles of track, and running 5S motor cars. Since then the growth of the artof the application of electricity to industrial progress has been mainly in the direction of tramway and railway service, although the transmission of power for general manufacturing purposes has continued to increase. Dr. Bell says that one fact has been conspicuous all through, namely, that wherever electric power has come it has found a profitable market; the steam engine has gone out, and the electric motor has come in. During 1896 about 1800 miles of electric railway track have been built, and nearly 5000 motor cars have been added to the equipment. This increase meant a total investment of something like £7,500,000, There is no. denying that, in the matter of electrical enterprise, America has kept far ahead of other countries. A discussion has been proceeding lately in the columnsofanEnglish journal as to why the husband should not take the wife's name. "A New Woman" contends that " to any reasonable mind there can be nothing so much out' of the way in the suggestion that if a woman has made her name celebrated her husband should be willing to take it on marriage. A man does not object to take his wife's if she would lose a fortune by discarding it. Men and women ought to been an equality in this matter. That is all thas is wanteds It has too long been the,case that a woman merges her individualityin that of her husband. She is ; an individual as well he." This lady proceeds to give her views upon a subject that we periodically hear something about in New Zealand.. She saysJYhile on this subject I should like . to. remark that in auother matter the married state is unjust to the woman. She should be legally entitled to half the income when she faith-' fully performs her share; of • the : work. J jPattnerijiip it « mere {arcs otherwise lit* J

woman's part », to many mindi.Veore disagreeable one,.than the man's, M( j yet it receives bub little recognition Ib is, to a sensitive womap, * bitu t task to ask her husband-«ven good husband-for the money which should be here by right." One " m »i 9 person," to use the term adopted by the above "New Woman," euggests a; a co m . promise that the matter might be arranged gracefully by the wife being named,- f ot instance, Mrs. O'Brien-O'Halloran-thati! joining her husband's surname to her own' and could not too daughters be O'Btieni' and the sons Q'Hallora.ns, in the happy future ? Another proposal is that when two persons get married, they should chooje the best name of toe two, and stick to it. If neither aro satisfactory, a new name should be picked from some other eource—Burke'f' Peerage, for instance. The problem ap. pears to bo as far from solution as ever, in spite of all these and other similar auggej. ! tions.

The Manchester Guardian, a journal which possesses special sources of informa. tion, publishes a statement that in the event of war breaking out in Europe the British Government are prepared to send an army corps to the Cape under the commandof Sir Kedvers Buller. The Premier of Cape Colony has declined tomakepublio the correspondence which passed between the Colonial Government and the Imperial authorities at the tirao of the closing of th( " drifts" on the Vaal river by the Boers, on the ground that ita publication would not tend to promote peace. Tho Spanish troops in the Philippines are still struggling unsuccessfully to cope with the nativi revolt there. Tbe rising continual to spread, and further reinforcement! have been applied for. By the floods at Memphis in Tennessee six thousand pereoni have been rendered homeless. British Board of Trade returns show a large increase of exports and imports for March, Craddock, the naval officer who has figured prominently recently, has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment, and to bt dismissed the service with disgrace.