NOTES BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 37

NOTES BY DEMON.

Touring has been the order of the day for some time pasb, and »s I write riders are returning home firoiia trips in the country, reporting a pleasant holiday and strongly advisiDg those who do not jefc wheel to at once invest in a machine and taste before the summer is over a few of the jojs of ejele touring. The Christmas encampment organised by the Duoedin Cycling Club has been a decided success". A short account of the etcampment, furnished me be a strong supporter ot the club, is to be found further on.

The bicycle-racing afc the Caledonian Grounds was perhaps the one of the attractive features of the Caledonian Society's gathering that found mosb favour. Betser all-round racing has nob been teen in Dunedin for some time, and the practical inauguration of the cash system in Duutdin is pronounced by followers cf cycling to ba a success. I saw the raeiog on the firet d»y, and watched the in and out work among the competitors with a considerable amount of satisfaction. The prize winners ■were — Fir3fc day : One Mile, E. Crawford (1), C. Home (2), T. B. Christie (3) ; Five Mi'e, J. Cbalmers (1), W. B. Bell (2), P. Ralston (3) ; Three Mile, G Sutherland (1), A. Ralston (2), A. R. Barker (3). Second day : Three Mile, G. Sutherland (1), A. Rale'on (2), W. Clarkson (3) ; Two Mile, A. R. Barker (1), B. Crawford (2), G. Sutherland (3) ; HtJh'-iuil-, J. Stewart (1), J. Hanley (2), A. R Backer (3). Two amateur cjcle racea were run on Saturday, but owing to the sm*U fields ifc was decided to cub out the third event, the threemile race. The results of the other events were— H&lf Mile, G. C. Moore (1), A R. Grierson (2), J. £t. V^hite (3) ; Two Mile, J. S. "White (1), G. C. Moore (2) -two starters. Details of tbe racing n\\\ bo found under the report of the CalcSouiau Society meetii-g. Tne times rt&uded iv the races are good, and when t, u e fcs&cls ie fluibhed bj

the Caledonian Society* we will, I think, bs able to congratulate ourselves on having a track as iVt and as safe as any in the colony. A little widening and banking might be an improvement afc the lower corner comiDg into tbe straight;. When a bunch of men are Cv-mmg round this corner a 4; the last lap there is apt to be a little running yride, and one rider (A. Dey) on Saturday had the misfortune, when ccmhig strongly on the outside, to slip down the baiik, owing partly to insufficient width of track &nd to a loc-seness of banking. Of course, there was a looseness of cinders and an amount of dust; but the Caledonian Society are looking to the remedying of thia matter. It seems thai the society are now determined to secure a lafe and fasb track, and I tru&t that their enterprise will bring them in a fitting reward.

I would like to say a word against fche practice some people have of standing afc conveoicnt corners of the enclosure and urging on their p&rticolar friend among fche competitors. Sa-veral times on Saturday a cyclist, who evidently had no official duty, stood afc fche corner coming into the straight and urged some friend on to greater exertion. This may be all very well for the competitor and his friend ; bufc suppose eech of the 23 competitors in the Three-mile Race had arranged for the encouragement and advice of a friend, what would be the re&uli; ? Again, when there is a larga field goiog r#und a corner afc a fasb rate, fche moretha men are let alone the better chance th*F4 is for them to look after themselvss and those who are ractDg with them, for the slightest swerve in a bunch of riders may setva to bring a number down, and then there is a mix up. The riders are trained to use their heads as well a» their feet, and; can safely be let aloae to do their work.

There was afc the fcima some grumbliDg ab some of the competitors being lef b in two events owing to late arrival on the track. I am informed that the races wece run np to time, and this bekig so those men who were left behind, although afc the time they felt annoyed, musk now see that the superintendent (Mr J. H. Chapman) was quite right in setting the men oft' when the time was up. I would like to say thab as frug&rintende*jt Mr Cha-pmau carried oub his duties as far as the cycle events go, and it ia with these only I am concerned, in a maaner that mueb be commended. He is a man of much firmness and considerable forbearance in the carrying out of his duties, and these duties af> times are not of an agteealde nature. Where we fi»d a man willing to undertake the duties of office with a degree of fearlessness and strict attention to duty ifc is only right to uphold him when we find thab the du L ies are beiDg carried out in a sfcrici-ly fair and impartial manner. These remarks are , nob directed ab any particular person, but are prompted by what I saw of Mr Chapman's work oa Saturday.

It* the course of an interview with Inspector Ban-on I gathered that the light and bells question is vte'l under centre-), and the inspector is gratified at the amount of regard for the by-law shown by bhe majority of cyclists. He, however, pays that t her e> are still a few — " smart people," ho calls them — who delight in trying to evade tbe law and do without a bell, preferrJßg rather to call out to people in a loud and authoritative voice to get out of the way. These people take not the slightest not'ee of the inspector, and not being kaown escape, but, as Mr Barren says, nob for long, for he has a few riders of this calibre on a little list, and is waiting for an opportunity to give them a lessen. Lamps can be seen on a machine, bufc a bell is most difficult to distinguish on a passing wlejl, and some riders have by reason of thia escaped bo far. Mr B^rron impresces upon me that ho is of r pinion that it is rob dub members who are the offender?, and says that so far he has received courteous treatment at the hand* of club members with whom he may have c me in contact.

Mr L. B. Jordan, of the Government Insurance Department, Wellington, has just completed a cycling tour of 525 miles in the Wellington, Wanganui, and Taranaki districts. H» leports that ho fouiad all tbe roads north of Wanganui (with the exception of those between Waverley and Kai Iwi) very loose and dusty.

A Sydney cablrgr«tn slates that Pla^tB»t<s, the Eogli&h cyclitt, racing at Netca^tle, from a fiyiDg st&it covered five milts in 9uain 533ce— an Au'tralasi .n rtord.

Large fields were Ihe order of the diy at the cjc'iug carnival st Wd,»ganui. Barker (of Ohrietchureb) won the points priz v , btir-g first in the Grand Cjfcle Handicap, Thrfce-mile event, and First C:ass Scratch Race. Tierney (<'f Auckland) was second for the points prize, and E J. Rt chic was the best of the "Wanganui riders.

Not very long ago the Austral Cycle Agency made an oiler to our re»<lt,r« giving them an opportunity of obtaining a Dunlop bicycle, fitted with Duulod fcvres. I'iee. Some of our

readers took advantage of this, and one has been successful in winning one of these highgrade machines. The name of the winner is Mr B. M. Wldey, of Reed street, DuoediD, who gave as his guess 12 miles 560 yards 2 feet 1 inch; and, as P*t would put ir, No. 2 wa3 No. 3 and No. 3 was No. 2, so the Austral Cycle Agency (Limited) , h^ve decided to give three machine s in all. The correct figure is 12 miles 554 yards. No doubt numbers of our readers saw the advertisement appearing, but not having had previous dealings with the Austral Cycle Agency, they did not take the trouble to enter into this competition. Tho3e who hfi.ve had such dealings state that tbey always found fche agency carried oat just what they said they would do. la this case we notice, however, that they have exceeded their r-ffer, &s the adverli&enunt only stated tha v . one Dunlop bicyole, fitted with Duulop tyrts, would ba given, bafc the two second best, who sent ia th^ numbers aa 12 miles 440 yards, will also be the happy recipients of &uch nice Christmas presents.