ATHLETICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14528, 20 May 1909, Page 10

ATHLETICS.

By Amateur. i ' ; |

A large number, of barriers have joined' the Dunedin Gyiijnaslie Club this sea-son, and are actively engaged two nights n, each week going tlnnugli the various oxercisc?, as well as doing their ordinary training on i.he track. The Gymnastic Club have vacancies for a large number of mem hers, and will be pleased to see more harriers joining. The lion, secretary of the Civil Service Harriers has had to resign owing to being transferred from Dunedin. Mr \V. C. Nichols, of the Public Trust OfHce, has been appointed to fill the vacancy. 'Lite Ctvit Service Club have jnade a number of new members this \ear, and one or two of then: arc promising runners.

The balau.e sheet of the champion.sh'<i meeting disclo.-od a profit of £53. and the council's share nas been forv.aided on. Tin: next championship meeting is set. down lo he held at Auckland, and it is liopul that the (lugo Centre will l::i properly repreIt is pro|K>sctl to hold an Olagi Championship meeting in December, when the prizes will be certificates, and the profits from this meeting will be devoted in sending a team north. A large number of arhLtcs have been approached, and each and everyone is willing t 0 compete, and do his lest lo nuke the first tltago Championship meeting a tuccess, and thus aid in sending a large team to Auckland.

The proposal of iiio council of 1)10 Now Zealand Amntcjr Athletic Association to endeavour lo get New Zoala'nd recognised as a separate fount vy came up he-fore she centre at last meeting. Some of the doiegavs viewed Hie proposal as a scheme 10 break away irotn llie Australasian bnioii. and .-poke, against it. Finally it was decide'.! lo write aid ask whether the council was aiming at this or not. One of (he thle-galc.; ujiileirled that it would be necessary 10 s.-oede from the union, anil moved a, motion to I hat cli'oct. It was. however defeated. It Xtw Zealand is recognised as a separate country it docs not alfcet Llio Au.si.raue.iaii Union in the slightest. It iv-cuUI simply mean that New Zealand would have a recognised member of the Olympic Committee. The points scored by Now Zeahii'.ders would still count to Great Britain Just the same a.s points scored by Son'h Africans, Oanadhius, etc. As a matter of fact, each Stale of the Commonwealth could apply for iveogimic.ii, and obtain it, ;tii(! ti:e eoikliuition of il>e Australasian Union would not l:e altered.

J! las i;;w lxvu definitely decided to hold i-he Australasian Champion-shins in Brisbane during August, and New Zealand naturally Ins lo fall in with thp arrangement. This decision was come to shoitly before the new council was elated, and they therefore did not have an opportunity of i tying to get the date made February or March. <)f comse. tin: date does notstiit Now Zoabwid i-o well as February or March, but after all tho Dominion is only one State mi the union, a.n<l the dale for the last AusLralesian championship meeting was altered s|kti>'liy to suit New Zealwil. f have no doubt, but that the team will give a "cod account, of it-elf. In order thai the besr kani may be sent, the various cetilrrvi will l» asked to subscribe something towards the funds, as the etedk balance hold by tlv. eoimcil will not be sutlieicnl to fiend a fully representative team.

The Council of the X.Z.A.A.A. recently considered the i|iK*lie.n of the dak's of this year's Au.-tralasinii championi'iips, when I lie ri'consmeini-ation [ram the late Conference of Ccnties that tlic council protest against the Augiifl dates Witt discussed. As the Australku Suites had unanimously agreed lo August, it was recognised that it would he useless lo hold out, to, willynilly, the above dates were approved. At the .same time (wril-w "Mercury" in the Dominion) tho '-k'legates wore agreed that it was placing our repre-entafivrs under :t severe handicap. The centres are being written to with regard lo setting up a Selection Committee to get the teem decided upon and in training. Bach centre will have one representative on this committee, rail tiioy will settle (he selection, as far as possible, by corro.-|,ot.denw. Then thev will iiolil a. m-otin;.', lino:' to form a quorum, and make the liiuil choice. 'IV Wellington Centre should not have far to look for its repi-Menta.live on this committee. There appears to be nothing, so far, to enact that ihis representative .-.hall be more tlia.ii a member of a club in his centre-he iloe>s not, apparently, rcijuirc to lie a delegate to the cantro. ami this appears to lea.vc the road open to the election of Mr W. 11, Pollock, liven should the above assumption be wrong and Mr Pollock's presence on the New Zealand Council be found to debar him from.aeting. the. next man is not. far to seek. In fad, he at once sutrgests himself in the person of Mr J. W. ltenan who falls very little short of Mr Pollock hi knowledge of local form of .\ flw Zealand athlok-s. "Willi either of these gentlemen on Ihe committee Wellington would have a strong "say-so" in the choics of the team, ar.d, us tlio team will, „itli one or i two exceptions, consist of Canterburv and Wellington men, ihk, is only a:-, it should be. ''Reg. Walker is very keen on visitiiinAustralia anil Now Zealand," says Mr ,f T. Wallace, the well-known Durban athletic enthusiast, in a letter to Mr It. Coombes, "ami if the Australasian A.A. Union desires such a visit he can make the trip your way at the end of his American tour. It must bo unilc-rsiowl, however, that the Australasian Union must handle all th" arrangements. I can arrange for Walker to leave, Vancouver for Sydney if you nolify me. Walker, after visiting .England goes aciU-s to America, where ' I'he A.\ Lmon of the U.S. will handle his lour. Ho will 1» accompanied bv bis trainer, Sain Wisdom, who prepared him for the Olympic meeting, and who was with Hutchons in Australia. If you desire to sec Walker pwhaps yon could arrange with Mr W. W. Naughfon, the special commissioner of 'The Mersc' In America, to complete plans. Ploftse advise me earlv."

"Here, is a chance to see Walker in action," says Prodigal. " What say the various associations in tho States and in the Dominions?"