CYCLISTS’ TOURING CLUB.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 3261, 19 October 1897, Page 3

CYCLISTS’ TOURING CLUB.

The annual meeting of the New Zealand Cyclists’ Touring Club was held last night in the Chamber of Commerce, the president of the council, Mr A. Gray, in the chair;

Tho annual report stated that in consequence of the rapid growth of the club and the great increase of clerical and other work which devolved upon the secretary it was resolved to appoint a paid secretary, and Mr Sayers, who was largely instrumental in bringing about tho establishment of the club and had throughout acted as honorary secretary, was appointed to that position. Since tho close of the financial year it had been found expedient to combine the offices of secretary and editor. Amongst other matters which had engagedtheattontionof tho council was the subject of the safe carriage of, cycles by rail, and the council was able to report that the Government had imported, by way of experiment, a number of collapsible crates for use on the various lines. The council also resolved to erect danger-boards on dangerous and hilly roads throughout thecolony, and an interim order for tho supply of 50 enamelled plates had been despatched to a manufacturing firm in Wolverhampton. With the co-operation of the local bodies it is hoped that all the difficult portions of the colony's roads which are used by cyclists will, ere long, be marked with these danger signals. It was proposed also, in the same way, to erect finger-posts on the roads wherever they might be found to be required. The prospects of the club were excellent. There was a considerable sum of money to its credit, as the balancesheet showed, and the applications for membership which continued to be received afforded every ground for supposing that the usefulness of tbe club was becoming more widely known, and that it would become a very powerful organisation.

Mr Trimble, consul for Taranaki, had drawn up a series of rules, and it was decided to postpone consideration of them until November 22nd.

A special vote of thanks was passed to Mr 33. I*. Sayers for the great interest be had taken in the club's affairs.

• At a special meeting of the council held after the annual meeting it was decided to register the club under the Unclassified Societies* Registration Act. A letter was received from a Christchurch cyclist, who had been fined for obstructing the footpath by leaving his machine standing in the gutter with a portion of the handle protruding on the footpath, asking for assistance in his appeal against the decision of the Magistrate. It was decided to reply that the council could not see its way to assist the writer of the letter. Another letter was received from a cyclist at Foatherston who had bad judgment given against him in an action. The facts, as stated by the writer, were that he was riding along a road at Featherston, when he came to a bridge that had a barrier erected across it. He was riding at tho rate of about 11 miles an hour when he came up to the obstruction, and had only time to alight, but could not save his machine, which was injured to tho extent of .£l7. He wanted to appeal against the decision' and asked for assistance, and the council decided to assist him to the extent of .£lO 10s, in the event of the appeal being unsuccessful. i It was decided to hold a run next Saturday under the auspices of the consul for Wellington.