ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 512, 17 May 1900, Page 5

ON THE WHEEL

I BY

Cyclos.

The Revenue frc m the tax on cycles in France exceeds £241,000 a year. Murie, of Invercargill, is evidently a rider of some ability. He won something like £2O, at the recent Christchurch meeting, besides winning three races at Temuka. At a special meeting of the Council of the League of wheelmen held on Thursday evening, last the charges against G Sutherland for having demanded appearance money at Geraldine and Wellington were considered. A charge was also brought up against E. Reynolds and the Canterbury Athletic and Cycling Club on the ground that when the club had in November last paid Reynolds his boat fare to come from Auckland and represent the North Island in a paced match against Wall, the same rule had been broken. It was considered that if Sutherland were suspended several other riders and clubs would have to be similarly dealt with, and the result would be a deadlock in the sport. If the Canterbury Club were suspended, four or five menbers of the Council would be prevented from acting. Ultimately the following resolution was carried: “ That as there had been a general misconception as to the effect of the rules regarding appearance money and the payment of expenses, all breaches of these rules up to May 10 be condoned.” Both Sutherland and Reynolds will nowgo to Paris. It is stated that Tierney and Draffin, of Auckland, have both decided to make the trip on their own account. At a meeting of the North Canterbury Centre of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen, held last Thursday the Chairman said that as notice to appear before the centre had not been served to K. Lewis, the League had no power to deal with his case, for the rules distinctly stated that no person or club should be suspended until they had been given an opportunity to defend themselves. It was only through inadvertence that he had allowed Lewis’ name to be coupled with that of Kirkwood’s in the motion inflicting suspension of six months. It was decided to rescind the minute regarding the suspension of Lewis and Kirkwood, and to re-open the case. The chairman read a letter from Kirkwood,

who explained that he had been unable to attend the meeting through indisposition. He denied that at Leeston he had ridden “ stiff ” or waited to pace Sutherland. It was resolved to give Kirkwood an opportunity of attending the next centre meeting, and explaining his riding. With regard to Lewis, it was decided that notice, as required by the rules, should be served to him by means of registered letters sent care of Victorian and New South Wales Leagues, answer to be made in a month.

The League of Victorian Wheelmen have a credit balance of £564.

The North Canterbury Centre of the League of N.Z. Wheelmen held a meetingon Wednesday evening of last week, when they suspended T. Kirkwood and K. Lewis for six months, on a charge of inconsistent riding at Leeston on Easter Monday. G. Sutherland was also before the Centre, charged with stiff riding at the same meeting, but after hearing the evidence, the meeting expressed th© opinion that Sutherland had done his best to win. The centre inquired into the circumstances of the payment of expenses to Reynolds by the Canterbury Athletic and Cycling Club in November last, and referred the correspondence and evidence to the League Council to deal with at its meeting next day.

The Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club hold their Annual Bicycle Road Race on May 24. The course is from Kemp’s Corner, Parnell, to Otahuhu, thence to Panmure, and back to Kemp’s Corner. Entries close on Saturday evening next, May 19, at the Sports Club’s rooms.

It has been decided by the American League of Wheelmen to relinquish the control of cycle racing in the States. The National Cycling Association will thus be left in control. The above decision was decided upon at the annual general meeting, held on February 15, at Philadelphia. Mr Sams was elected president, and Messrs Kingsbury (New Hampshire) and Choate (Minnesota) vice-presidents. A recent issue of the New South Wales Cyclist contains the following comment on the recent League’s night Carnival:—The racing on the concluding night of the League’s Meeting was about the worst we have witnessed for a long time. Both the Morgan-McDonald and Jackson-Walne heats of the Motorpaced Pursuit Race were a farce, owing to a pacing machine going wrong, and the final—Jackson v McDonald—could not be run at all, as the machine was still out of order. The Two-mile Race between the two tandems also lapsed for the same reason. The programme was a good one, but the motor going wrong upset things altogether, and the spectators were thoroughly disgusted with the evening’s amusement A syndicate to run a series of unregistered meetings is talked of in Victoria. The meetings are proposed to be held at the St Kilda track, and a large number of the Victorian League’s best riders intend competing at the new race meetings.

W. C. Jackson is credited with having won £159 10s at the recent Sydney night carnivals. He rode nine nights in all, and won £76 10s at the February five nights’ meeting, and £B3 at the March, meeting, consisting of four nights’ racing.

A corps of scientific cyclists, consisting of 50 members, has left England for South Africa, where they will be used for field telegraphy. They will be in charge of Major Crompton, who has devised a system of field telegraphy by which three cyclists can carry three sets of telephone and telegraph instruments and sufficient wire to lay one mile of field telegraph in 10 minutes over ground practicable to cycles, or 25 minutes if the cycles have to be pushed instead of ridden. Six cyclists can lay two miles of wire, and so on. Each set of three carries an apparatus for tapping the wires, so that, when ordered, communication can be established between any

two desired places. Each cyclists will carry a specially - designed aluminium reel behind his saddle, after the manner of the Turner or Dance carriers, the weight, with its apportioned length of double cable, forming a complete metallic circuit, being 201 b. All the above apparatus weighs 20 per cent, less than the field telegraphs at present in use. It will be interesting to hear how this corps succeeds when put to the practical test, but there can be little doubt but that the experiment will be successful, and add further testimony to the advantages derivable from the use of the cycle in warfare.

On Monday last Messrs E. Reynolds, Tierney, and S. Draffin left for America in the Mariposa en route for Paris. The former goes as the League’s representative in conjunction with G. Sutherlatd who leaves in a few days. . W. Tierney and S. Draffin are going independently. Reynolds and Tierney will ride in the World’s Championships, while Draffin will compete in the handicap events which will be run in connection with the Exhibition. The three cyclists received an enthusiastic send off and were occorded the good wishes of all those assembled to bid them bon-voyage. This week we produce pictures of the three Auckland cyclists who have gone to ride at the Paris Exhibition.