BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 59

BY DEMON.

A number of local riders a.re at present busy training both on road and track getting in<fo form for the Otagt subtest road race, to take plac-J on Saturdays Ootober 23. I learn, also, that a jjocxJ number of country cyclists intend to compete, so that a rppres-entative field of riders should be seen at th© starting post on the day of the race. The League of Wheelmen are pushing ahead with ..heir preparations for ihe hig Timaru to Christchurch Road Race. The road is being clearly marked, and pla.n= are to be issued to all competitors, while stewarcJ, will be on hand along the loute to point out the way. Re>f»ef hment stations will be provided at Ran^itata and Chertspv, the food boin{j provided, but competirors will have to rarry their own bajfs. It is said that the brothers R. and J. Arnst will start, which should add to the Interest of th© race. Mr Foster Fraser, who is now in Dunedin, was one of the original " Thtve Musketeers of the Wh-eel " who toured th-s uorid en bicycles. In referring to the lanci; pastel through during his 46,528 mil-ss motor tour in 39 countries Mr C J. Glidden says, inteir alia : "In jNVw Zealand the surfao" of the roads is rough, and there me dangerous unprotected roads with steep g-radss." Mesirs Cooke. Howlison am. Co. landed this week a. Buick ModM F (vvi r h double opposed c\lir;ders). and a Mo'lc 1 , as ired by Dr Ftanhy Barch-lor. The Modjl F is now fitted with both hijrh tension magneto and accumulating ignition. The o[>ening run of the Otago Motor Association on Saturday, 16th, ought to be a very successful outing. Messrs Thomson and Co. have invited thf members to 6j>snd the afternoon at YVairongoa — a guarantee of a roal good outing. There mil be- a short run through the city before leaving for the Springs. VThv not return by Whare Flat? Tho Silverstream fords would create no end of fun. Mr W Ritchie (Cannincrton) is in Dunedin ju«t now. H drove through to Dunedin (160 miles) on Monday last — a non-stop run. Mr Ritchie reports that his 12 h.p. Rover is rur.ning beautifully. — English Dunlop cycle r> res ha\c b" a n increase*} in price another 7j por cent., making 15 p-:r cent, since Ja'-t sp'-ing, while the other tjivs marketed by tli2 big companirs, Warwick, Scottish. Cambridge, and Edinburgh, have gone up 25 per cent. It I^, of course, pointed out (says Athletic News) that the increase in the price of rubber from 5= 3d per 1b to 8s 4d has compslled them to take this step, which is l.ot due to the natual fluctuations of supply and demand, but to "internal and artificial manipulation of the market." To put it plainly, someone has "cornered the rubber market " in the genuine American style, but the DunJop Cojzmany assure, their cus-

tomers thofc as 3oon as the market again fincb its normal level the prices of tyres will be amended accordingly. In July last, in, Che Court of Appeal (London), Lord Justice . Buckley very clearly defined the duty of x the pedtestriaia in TOhioular traffic. He said in. effect that the ordinary foot passenger now imagines that, however much he may be impelled to move out of danger to avoid -pain and trouble, he is under no legal obligation ; to do so. The foot passenger has as much • rigiht to the roadway as any vehicle, but he could not walk in front of a vehicle and dlemand that it should Stop. • " Each foot passenger aaid each, driver of a vehicle," concluded the Lord Justice, "in fact, owes a duty to the obher." The present price of rubber has given a great Impetus to the flotation, of rubber plantation companies, for diiring tbe month of July 23 companies were floated, with a total capitalisation of £1,870,880. '— — At the annual meeting of several English . railway companies the respective chairmen madfe- reference to the increasing unprofitable nature of first ckss tr.un; traffic, -which is a trend of the times that is due not only to the growing popularity of the third class, hut also that those who previously patronised the first class are now owning- and using- motor cars, making them independent altogether- of Urn railway service. It is further stated that this tendency is not ait all likely to decreasc,and the only way the resultant, loss can "be mist is for the companies to ' reach places jnow isolated from the stations by motor., vehicles, as -has already been done by two large railway companies in Great- Britain. Some" time ago Do. Neeley, president of the Canterbury Automobile Association, wn-ote to his Excellency the "Governor, drawing ihi s attention to the assooia,tion's scheme to give the use of motor cars for operations in connection with the Volunteer Dr NeeJey has received a letter from Captain Shannon, aide-de-camp to the Governor, stating that his Excellency sincerely regretted that as his oar would not be in the South Island at the timei the manceuvires would be held he would not be able- to assist ' the association, whose object had. his entire sympathy, and he wished tht> association every success. Da- Nealey states that a large number of cars have been promised. On many occasions attention has been drawn tc the dangerous practice of carrying children on cycles, and the question has once more come to the front by an occurrence at Torquay, England l . A cycliet was charged with riding furio>uslv and to the common danger. Tha defendant was at the time earryi-n.g a child on the front of his machine., and was riding so recklessly that through his own fault -he collided with a motor ca,r. That both Jie arid his child were not seriously iniurod must be set down to good luck only 1 suppose that the petvsnt ■ who carries *is child on the haiwllebar or any other port at the machine doss so in "ignorance of tho risk to which he is putting his ehilcVs life au.J health. The best regulated of cycles wiH meet with an accident at fome time o.r another, and even ths most skilled of ndera have been known to come to uwt How ntiKih more so, then, where a r-dcr has hw view of the roaj obstructed his handleharj, whose existence ho i s im- ]^ n % , edlCal ««*ho»'ties have alHo htatcd th%t tJie exposure of c child to , a constant cu™t of air without any cSm* pensaAing exerciws. coupled w-itb the v«£l

CYCLING ROAD RACE. NPJLSON, September 29 A cycling road race from Nelson to Belgrove and back 50 miles, to'aetert re £«JStatives for the Timaru to <3hifctehur<Hsd i^ftJ° Ok - pU 55 ot,0 t,. to^ By in favourable weather ram falling throughout the journey and making the rovdsMppery.slvZtoen started, a,nd the winner was L Frank%m,'n a* 8 « CtUal ridin « tirae w «s 2hr ass -si^'fessf ot«m» rt will be sent to Chri S tchurchs