PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS. By Sport.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 62

PROFESSIONAL ATHLETICS. By Sport.

FIXTURES. October 13.— Labour Day Sports, Outram. October 13.— Athletic Sports,^ Herbert. November 9. — Caledonian Sports, Pahrierston. November 9.— Caledonian Sports, Alexandra.

I have to thank Mr J. R. "Wilson, secretary Otago Xabour Day sports, for a eordie.' invitation to be present at their annual sport? at Outram on Wednesday next. Although unable at present to state definitely whether able to accept same or not my wishes for the success of the gathering ai>e heartily given.. I understand that th& initial production of the N.Z.A. Union calendar will make its appearance on the 12th It should fill a 4ong-£elt want if got up, at all a<s what one would exneot. Under the "heddin.g "The Pipers and Dancers' Association of New Zealand " I have received the following, which speaks for iteplf : — Dear Sport, — I have read yo'ir remarks contained in the columns of both the Otago Wiiniss and the Otago Daily, Times regarding th© action of pipers and dancers in refiii-ing any longer to allow the N.Z. Athletic Union to control either themselves or their particular events. As a constant readei of " Professional Athletics " ir both pape,ib referred to I have no hesitation in saying that in dealins with any question regarding the N.Z.A.U. you have all along exhibited all the elements ot strong partisanship ; and, to be candid, I may tell you that many of your readers have, in consequence, learned to very considerably discount any visws which you express legarding the doings of the N.Z.A.U. This is, of course, by no means flattering to a.ny scribe whose position suggests that any opinions, he may express shall bs not only able, but indepenebnt and free from outside bias or influence. The manner in which, you d*?al with the matter of control of Scottish music and dancing leaves little doubt in my mind that you know much about these matters m tfieir true national significance. Regarding rhe N.Z.A.U. and the question of control — control, be it noted, is the great desire, not improvement — let me ask you, Mr Sport, to enlighten your readers as to how and when, also for what purpose, was the N.Z.A.U. formed? Just kin-Jdy jrivs us t>be real truth on these points. J write, of course, with a full knowledge of the facts surrounding the questions I now a<sk ; thuii, you will understand, my queries are very, much in the nature of a challenge. You .have fir«t, Mr Sport, to satisfactorily justify the -Bxist&nee of the New Zealand Athletic Union as a body fKipd and required to dictate, firstly, to Caledonian societies as to what ' they may do with their own money and timehonoured customs, and, secondly, you ■have to let us have something approaching justification for their desire to control competitors in bagpipe mueic and Highland dancing. What connection, for instance, have tibe-so events with the uncleanliness which, we are given to understand, suggests or demands gome system of control over cash runners? You go the length of stating that Scottish piping and dancing events will be cut out of sports programmes unless the competitors therein humble themselves to the rule of the N.Z.A.U. Do you not think such a statement is beyond your sphere of •reasonable comment? Have the Caledonian societies no rights of their own? Who. for many years, kepfc Caledonian ism alive and instituted the inelu- , sion of the events in question on sports programmes? Was it the N.Z.A.U ? In conclusion, sir, I shall take leave to remind you that the South Canterbury and Feildin-g centres of the N.Z.A.U. have both expressed the opinion that ail Highland events should be outside the control of the N.Z.A.U. ; also, that the pipers 'and dancers of Wanjjanui, lfivexoargill

> and Ohristchurch are taking up exactly », the sam» stand as the pipers and GUn-cers t- of Dunedin. They are all evidently :t determined to keep aloof from what has ■s been termed "the athletic inquisition of , r New Zealand" — otherwise the N.Z.A-U^ In short, Mr Sport, there is an awakenJ ing taking place which is not onJy plain, d but is significant. You asked for a a straight-out opinion on the above ques- „ __ tion ; consequently, I take it, you will , ' pairdon my somewhat plain manner of g speaking. Thanking you in anticipationof jour reply, — I am, etc., n Cabab Feidh. I, I am sorry 1 have not scan eye to eye n with my correspondent, so that I may have (- escaped 1 what he may term a "scathing 1 0 comment." I would be indeed {pleased n to be abta to have ail my -readers on r agreeable terms witih everything I may c write, but this is rather tco much to exd peot. A* the outset I may say, as I have & said many a time previously, that I hold t no briof for any particular section of my f readers. I "have all along recognised* that c the N.Z.A. Union has cone, ar.d is stiM -. doinig-, good work in the direction for , which it was formed, so perhaps this action n of mine has been misinterpreted. "Qatar ti Feid'h" is tha first (if thore are any otuiers) , t to have the courage to put his opinions in ■. writing, and for this I respect him,. Howa ever, much of what he does say is dis- | 1 counted by the amount of bitterness and ' s feeling- he shows against the N.Z.A.U. - Were he to have criticised 1 my writings - from an unprejudiced point' of view, more s notice would undoubtedly have been takan. ) 1 do not propose to go into what may be ! - termed "ancient history," so will merely . inform "Cabar Feidh" that, so far as s memory serves im, the N.Z.A. Union was ' formed in 1905 "for controlling and! proI viding uniformity in conducting atfhtetic j sports which inaludi© running, jumping-, ! • wrestling-, hammer-throwing, musical and j dancinig events, etc." Gthei reasons, too * numerous to mention, aio ako given. r- Whether the union is carryi.n(g out these - objects only the bodies "affiliated can - answer. I merely here wish to impress - upon my correspondtent tha/t musical a.nd dancing events were undar the control of : the Union from the outset. To further drive this home it is only necessary to l-efer to ; the action of the- Southland. Otago, "• J Oamaru, Timaru, and otlusr CaledbnTan ; and Athletic Societies in signing a petition ' to the union to try to prevent the Scottish Society of Christahurch, as- [ sisted by a State gra.nt, holding ' sports on January 1 and 2, 1907, on the Exhibition Groumids, Christchurch. These societies, truly representatives of everything Scottish, recognised the union as a controlling body of Scottish events, otherwise they would not have signed the petition to prevent a meetdnig which did not contain one running event. but was out and out a true "gathering of the clans." Why now all the hubbub? Sim-ply because certain pipe ban-ds were disqualified for competing at this Scottish Society meeting, and now wish to show their opposition to the union by forming ' the Pipers and Dancers' Association to "'control" theii pa,rtieula.r events. And yet one bears' the piipars and dancers require no control 1 ! I do not know if the union does dictate to Caledonian societies, ' bub I think not. I do know that there were some 30 representatives at the annual meeting of the Union's Ota<go Centre, a.»d the almost unanimous opinion there was that there was no necessity for any other controlling body. As I said in a previous issue, d-sle'gatas from Caledonian societies distinctly stated that they would cut off piping and dancing events from their programmes rather than pay additional fees and have to submit to their controlling influence. Theire. was no dictation from the centre or the union as <to what the Caledonian societies should d*> with their own money. They are sufnciontlv well , educated to refuse to pay any adidifcionall sum to any other body that ir>ay wish to spring up for, perhaps, the advancement of any class of sport. J do not wieh to ent-pr into a controversy as to whether I should : support in my writings either the union ( or the pipers and dancers. Both will re- ■ ceive, in my opinion, just and honourable ; treatment. If this be not sufficient, 1 will t look to other quarters ihan to '"Ca-bar ] Feidh" for instructions for a discontinuance i of same. j ( The long-promi- 0^ 12-mile natch between < Shrubb and Longboat came off on July 31 1 e.t Scarbdro' Beach, Ontario. The Hor^ham 1 man has been trying- to get Longboat out i over this dii~tanco for soin.B tim-e, but it 1 was' a difficult matter to coax the Indian i into (he race at a distance where S-hrubb ] m>ig.bl be expected to prove his conqueror I i However, arrangements w-p-re at last fivr:l 1 up for tho race to be decided by artificial < light on the evening of July 31. Shvubh i scon showed that hie* was at thr> top o\ i his form, a.nd ran away from Longboat I in the first lap, an<l had a third of a lap ; advantage at two mile. At five miles he i had nearly lapned the Indian, who mado i a desperate effort to kr>en clear : but at 1 six miles Shrubb caug-ht him. LonerboaA c tnied to g-"t away, but in the third la.n t of the sev-p-nth njil<* Shrubb rlashed off « asfain, a.nc" Lon.?boat w^ent to pierp-s =oo:i i afterwards, retiring at s n von and three- v quarter miles. Shrubb ccntinued. but eased ( s up a trifle towaix^s the end of th^ rac-o, ' } covering, however, 10 miles in 53min i 44- 4-s>pc, and finishing 12 miles, in 65min j 25 l-ssec. Perusal cf th-" int^rm^diatv-" a times goa? to show bhat Shrubb, fit an.'l L well, is c till tha finest distance, runner _ in v the would. Who eke, asks Sp-^rtin'g- Life, ' could covar th^ first mile in 4inin 37 4-sssc, r { and cenfcinue for an hour? j i ; Acknowledged with thanks from tb^ e^z- I b r<>tarv of the Palmerston Caledonian jli Society copy cf the programme of the t> society's an-nual snorts patberinor to Le J v held on Tuesday, November 9 ; also com- a y>limentary for same. Thore. are no fewer '■ v than 18 events on the programme, chief of &, which is the Palmer^on Handicap, of s 200 yds. Nominations close on October 23. jji