CYCLING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 51

CYCLING NOTES.

A company called the Southland Motor Service Company is bedng formed in Invereargill, with a capital of £6000, in shares of 5s each, to provide the town and suburbs with motor omnibuses, capable of being driven by either petrol cr electricity attached, at a very .small cost. A very imrort:?nt feature, of this company is that shareholders with their families will ultimately be patrons of their own buses ; and it goes without eaying that the promoters are careful to distribute shares well along ' the intended lines of route. 1 The General Committee of the Otago Cycliug Club has gone into the matter of , holding a race meeting, and a. small cub- ' committee consisting of Mec-srs Town^end, Nelson, Stokes, and Wilson, is to see what anraKgeni-enls can be made, reporting its finding to a general meeting on Wednesday evening. Th© Dunedin Cycling Club will make a. small profit on their Boxing Day race meeting. In the faoe of the extremely unfavourable weather during the day, tins result is satisfactory. j At the monthly m-eeting of the committee of the Otago Cycling Club, held at 1 the club's rooms on Friday evening Ir-at, Mr G. Nelson in the chair, ie was decided to hold a one mile and a-half open handicap on Wodnci day evening, 27th inst. at the Caledonian Grounds. ' The prizes are £2 and i £1, and entries close on Saturday, 23rd inst. ' This race is put on with a view to keeping riders in form, and generally encouraging ! racing. If there is a good entry list for the. foregoing race, the committee intends to hold another race, about a fortnight after. Floyd MaeFarland rode splendidly in the Westral Wheel Race at Kalgoorlie (W.A.) on Saturday, 19th December, and won from Elsbury (200y<J-), with Cook (ISOyds) third. The American, who started from 20yds behind scratch, finished first by about a foot. Major Taylor will again wear number 13 during his Australian tour. The Sydney officials were asked to reserve the number mentioned for Taylor; but there need not have been any anxiety, for none of Australia's ridcrn cared about donning the figures, which aie- regarded as being unlucky. By winning the Westral Wheel Race, which was worth £300, Floyd Macfarland, the American handicap champion, has now placed about £370 to his credit. Atistralia is a happy hunting ground for American ' cyclists j It would appear that the American pace folloiveis a"nd long distance champions arc. not to have matters all their own way in the annual six days' contest at Madison Square Gardens, New York, for a recent ' issue of tho London Sportsman cays: — j "Some 300 or 400 racing enthusiasts, includI ing pacers, racers, trainers, etc., assembled at tho Gsve Saint Lazare- towards midnight ,on Fiidaj-. bth November, to wish bon ; voyage to tho European team of racers wLo , were on their way to New York for the purpose of competing in the six days' race to ,be '12' dat Madison Square Gardenp. The , list of cracks who embarked on the Savoy ! at Southampton on Saturday, 7th November, is as follows: — Jean Gougpltz, the old- [ time French sprinter and middle-distance ■ crack, who will act as manager of the team, ',%■& ha-\iujj \isited the States on several pre-

vious occasions ; Henri Conlenet, ex-v/orld's hour rcoord holder, who will mako his debut as a r-ix-day racer ; Potit-Breton, Simar, Vandc-rstuyft. Kettic'i, Baaugeiidre. Samson, and the coloured rider Woody Hedspath, all cngag-ed for the. long grind. The party was completed by a famous trio made up of between them, Thaddeus the famous pac&r Hoffman. Tho two fiist-named have boon engaged to giv-o exhibition rides during tho course of the six-day race, and while- • it is Michael's intention to remain in tho I States during the winter months to recuperate hiis health and prepares himself for another trial in 1904, his young brother Willie will be piit through a stiff course of preparatory work, in view of making his appearance behind pace in Europe next year. Contenot has undertaken the duties j of reporter, having been engaged by Monde j Sportif to giv<? his own account, from a comi petitov's point of view, of the contest. This should prove interesting."' A motor 'bus service is to be started shortly in Timaru by Mr A. C. Thompson. When in Scotland recently Mr Thompson purchased a Stirling ear at a cost of £1000, and this is expected in Timaru daily. An expert, whom Mr Thompson engaged v.-hen at Home to work <he car, arrived in the colony by the Corinrhie, and reached Timaru a few days ago. — — At th-p monthly meeting of the Otago C.C. (Mr iTelscm, capiain, in the chair), a large amount of routine business was transacted. In view of the holding of a sports meeting in February, it was decided to hokl an Oren Handicap (one mile and a-half) on the Caledonian Giouikl on "Wednesday evening, January 27, at 7 o'clock. The prizes are to be £2 and €1. Entries close on the 23rd insfc. Some comment lesultecl from inflicting a fine of £1 at the Christchurch S.M. Court on a motor cyclist charged with furious riding in a crowded street in the heart cf ' the city, especially as footpath riders were simultaneously" fined 10s. Tuith comments thus: — "We make bold to say there are proportionately more offenders against the. by-laws among the ra:.ks of motor cyclists than amongst the riders of ordinary machines. It requires more nerve tbem the average policeman possesses to stop a motor cyclist, and a quicker eyo than the average policeman's to identify him a« he dashes past, but it does not require any striking degree of nerve to punish such an offender properly when the- opportunity offers." — —The monthly meeting of the Duuedin Cycling Club was held in the club rooms, Colonial Bank) Buildings, last evening, Dr Stanley Batchelor (president) in the chair. It was decided to hold a two-mile open handicap on the Caledonian Ground on Wednesday nighf, February 3, at 7 o'clock; prizes £2 and £1, entries to close at the club rooms on Saturday night, January 30. A pr-elimiuary balance sheet of the sports meeting on Boxing Day was submitted by <the secretary of the Sports Committee, showing the satisfactory balance of over £36. A sub-committ-ee consisting of Messrs Dey, Bell, and Minn was appointed to go into the matter of arranging details for the appearance of Major Taylor and the other prominent American riders at present in Australia at a meeting to be held at the Caledonian Ground if there- is a probability of these riders coming to New Zealand. Accounts amounting to £1 12s 6d wore passed for payment, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. In connection with the upsetting of Major Taylor and the disqualification for 12 months of Cameron, against whom Taylor entered a complaint, in the Austral Wheel meeting-, held at Melbourne, a later message states that Taylor did not complain to tho stewards, who took action thomseh-es. They disqualified Cameron (who fell at the tame time as Taylor) for foul riding. According to Commandant Gerard, a French cyclo-military expert, th© mounted infantry of the future will bo soldier cyclists. Says this officer: — "Make the cyclist carry the cycle wliero the cycle cannot carry the cyclist, and you have solved the problem of mounted infantry." Tn other words, a machine is required, which shall be readily

Irai«pirtod ovor longli rcvV. It is one of tup q'»'k arguments of ti.o- anri-mi'itary-cvc'.ist ihit the mobility of the bicycle baci.ic; u-clres c?.<-fpt on fairly smooth roads; 1-ut it i" jiut as often foi gotten that tho nr,- argument applicc to cavalry, the foot sold m\ r^cl to a:h:lcry, no.ic of which car :'-.ovc quickly ovor roijrli giound V-'hat :, 11.0 b-st "length of crank !■= =hl] a vtal quo-t ; cn in the Old Country, sn-i >t would nppear (hat frcra supplied by m.any of the mpm'faf . t .,^ 3 the Lngrth hen been incrcnvsed in a gcr.ciil way uji-jkj the, p a£ t tuo or tL.c-o \ eai.-. "Many ricer? have yet to learn.' -observes one cimic, ' noiv tho puLtijnc of cycling can bo improved and hew its p'ea^urc-s may bo inc\ ijcci and ih penalties bo removed by tho oc-cpcoi. of the !on<?e = t crank that will suit; i'ic lnd.vdualndc-rs style." Another thinks '.iiJt long- c.-,)' k iunvid he a-.oided. "C-011-snw year action," s-ivp he; "it is move-mc-iit that me--. P.cduco ihe limit of action, «.nd jou defer reaching tho inevitable, the tiring point "' ' l!-ero hr.s, bee i much Llk latclv in 1 ansian *pornr> 3 circles abort the evcrlastlrq qti-c-uon of the Mi»d ,h'.olc!3 u^d in peed r.i^c-s, and sorpp- important lefcrm may be cxn&efcod m rhi- lino before tho npxt c-e-a---on stai-t« Although thr- genero 1 opinion to favour tho =uppiC£--ion of the «hicld-. ther- r- littlo chanoe thit this will pa-s. bct-ari.o of the gioat tr.Tiblo experienced in Jay.nsj dov, n a fast nile limitino' iho amount cf Anchor wiiieh the pacing ma --hi-:". !•, to afford. And it i, 3 almost oerfajn that a mixrd solution, c&'-si--tirs> in the . c!o-Dtc.i of wind - ls a-, empll^as nossiblo, ,v ul br._adopted. Jvutc- Emmanue 1 . of Italy, is, iiK<> King Edward, dovoted to motoring; m:J ha has occfeionally got into alte-rcationi wim other automobilisis who have failed to rccogni^o him. On one occasion he only jus: micsed a viol on I colj 3 jon v.-irh an Amorioan, who exclaimed. "Well, I'm dashed if I would allow a, teorohc-r hk)> you :Jxjut ;) You ou?ht to bo hanged and quartered. ' "In front of my o-.-.n puhce?" a^kedl his Mijestv. "I don't oare where- it is so long as it is done," was th& rejoinder. "You are a public nuii=a.nce-." It was not until th-. American was present at Court that he diecoveied tho identity of the chauffeur with whom he had bandied words, and then he felt, a= ho said, "so cheap as dirt." But the King meioly laughed, mid inquired, "Are all Amonoane- as peppery as you?" The Prince of TVales is the happy posfc^sor of what is s.-iid to bo one of the finest motorcars yet turned out. It is from tho Daimler Kir-nufactory, and w equal to 22 horse-power. The car has hee>n built with a view rather to comfort than c-pocd. Tho front seat is reserved for tho driver, and, if necessary, an attendant chauffeur. Immediately' be» hind are four armchair seats, whilst in the rear of the car is luxurious accommodation, for three persons. A canopy shuts- in the long; length of the ear, with g-'aze-d windows in front and rear. If necessary, the carriage can be closed, making it as isnug as a brougham. Parisians are maturing p scheme for the formation of a hvw track and motordrome near the St Cloud racecourse, the track to bo 60ft in width, and ovor six mik 1 -, in circumference, with a straight foi, mile and kilometre trials. , Tlnddc-u-3 Rob], the wor] T s ex-cham-pion pace follower, -who has he-Id the hour record on many occasion?, and who was the first rido- to eo-er 50 miles inside 60 minutes, has announced his intention of not going cut of t-ainiug until he has topped 1 HalFs 54m 545 yds in the hour. With this end in view, he has just receivc-d delivery of a new motor tandem, which presents the appearance of a small locomotive, and! behind this large wind shield- are to lx. attached. Rob! says hij greate-t difficulty is to find a track in Germany capable of taking a speed of 55 miles per hour. Im some- comments upon an endurance automobile run recently conducted in the United States, during which terribly heavy weather was experienced, stopoing railway and ordinary road traffic, the" New York Herald fays .- — "The fact that motors get through when railioads are washed atvay paid horses cannot be driven on the highways, opened the eyes of the farmers." Guernsey, of the Channel Islands, liar imposed a tax of £1 per annum on motorcars, and 2s 6d per annum on bicycles, presumably the ordinary mofcorless bicycle. Hitherto these machines had merely to be registered, and required to have o metal puite attached. -Up ir the piesent, there a 1 c seven entries received for the next Goidon Bennett Motor Ba-e, the latest to nominate being Italy. The others aix- : — England, Germany. Franco, United States, Belgium, and! Austria. In the last race there were only four countr'ei represented. 1" a leport to the American Wa; Department General Miles says some interesting things regarding mctoi-s and roads. He considers that the automobile will ir. future wars largely take the place of the hoise, and urges the necessity for buildingroads of strategic importance throughout the country in time of peace, poing so far a& to advocate the formation of a speciaL corps, which should be wholly employed ii> building- roads and bridges fit to cope with, heavy military motor transport. The lack of pioper roads will in all probability soon be found a great obstacle to the full adoption of the motorcar as an Instrument of military service, and this is quite as likely to be the ease in most countriet.. Even in England, amongst what are considered to be the best roads, there weie some, as the recent manocr.vers showed, which cut jp badly undei the extra traffic. The Government, too. should also bear :n: n mind, the General tided, tha c ,oocl i-oad3 have a commercial as well as a strategic value.