Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-24

President Potter has dlvulsed to q friendly
reporter n secret ~ considerable interest 10
western members OF the League oil Amerl
Fan wheelmen. especially 20 that iactioh
which would like to see race control aban-
Toned by the organization. Referring 10 me
action OF the national assembly al 81 Louis
In appointing a committee TO consluer anu
report on the question of the league quitting
the race track, Mr.. Potter said that "a pop
ular instrumentation seems to exist con-
corning what the committee was appointed
tn do. II has been reported that 1t was TO
Investigate and make returns upon the adj
visibility OF the League abandoning the
government of racing, whereas the commit
tee was assigned simply to discover whether
or not there is in existence any organiza-
ton that Is equipped and competent to take
control of cycle racing. Under such cir
cumstances the committee might report in
the affirmative, and yet the assembly would
not be called upon to vote racing control out
Of the hands of the League" According to
Mr.. Potter there abs been no discussion be-
tween the members of the committee and
will not be until the racing season is over.
Each member Of the committee, which is
composed of the president and two vice pres
'lerts OF tho League, has ! cen doing his
own Investigating and forming his own. con-
illusions, but no one knows what the other
thinks on the subject. This puts the ques-
ton in a different light from that generally
understood to be the intention Of the assem-
bly,, and tends strongly to confirm the belief
that the appointment OF the committee was
a sop for the Hackers, graclously rendered
by Potter, Mott & Co. 1t is a ~foregone con-
clusion that the committee will fail to find
an organization to handle cycle racing as
competent as the League racing board.
-
While the general interest in cycling Is
as keen, If not keener than ever before,
it is not as a whole a successful year for
the manufactures of bicycles. More wheels
are seen on the road, and consequently
more people are riding, but the fact re-
mains that the number of bicycles sold so
far this year has not met the expectations
of the makers. Still the market has not
been overstocked. The manufacturers have
been conservative and the more prominent
makers are IN good shape for next years
output, Although the purchasing season is
not over by any means, 1t is waning. The
war has affected the tiade to a material
extent and the ending of hostilitie5 with
Spain will be a boon to the trade all along
the line. One prominent manufacturer, In
speaking about the conditions TO a reporter
for the New York Tribune, said: II believe
that more wheels were sold this year than
last, but not quite as many as were dis
posed Of in 1896. Next year ought to be
the best in the history of the trade. Many
riders have held on to their old wheels
this year, but they will be ready for the
new models next year. Talking about the
war not hurting the trade is all rot. We
have sent to the front or to camp over
100000 men. Now there is no way of tell
ing what percentage of these men ride BIZ
cycles, but l think that a. conservative es-
innate would place the number at. least
at one-quarter. I would not be surprised
il half of the number were w~heelmen, Now
they are at the front. leaving their wheels
at home. Their relatives and friends nre
riding their machines, with the result that
many people who would have purchased
wheels this year have come into temporary
possession of mounts Unexpectedly, and the
maker and the dealer will not hear from
them until the war is over. OF course
there are bright skies ahead. particularly
bright, and they can't come any too soo1
to suit the maker and the dealer"
According to advices received by the Ma
tional Board of Trade from the United
States consul at Shanghai, the use Of BIZ
cycles in China has had a, decided boom
in the last year. The consul has written c
special letter to the board, in which he
explains the causes for the boom and also
describes customs that are distinctively in
teresting. Society there is dominated b,
the English idea that exercise is necessar!
for the maintenance Of health in that eli
mate, and all classes have begun within
the twelvemonth to employ the bicycle al
the medium for their exercise. There arr
no native roads, as We understand tn
term. There are narrow paths for pedes
trians and horses, and as a rule they ar
not wide enough for vehicles. They ar
dusty in dry weather, very muddy ate
rain, and at all times so rough as not t
be practicable for cycling. These roads ar
not maintained by the community, but eacI
landowner takes care of the section I'M
mediately in front Of his property. Their
is u general lack of public spirit, and II
one does anything on the road that h
can avoid. AS a result, the paths gro'
narrower and rougher, instead of improv
ing. In consequence of this, bicycling ha
a hard time of it. 1t is only on the road
which have been built by the foreigners /
the immediate vicinity of the larger town
and cities that cycling is possible. TIL
boom in the sport has been for the mos
part among the foreign population. Fee
Chinese have taken to the wheel. The
clothing is not adapted to the exercise. /
middle and northern China no man appear
In PUBLIC dressed Otherwise tnan III ION
clothes, which means an outer shirt {
p%etticoat that reaches to the ankle. Som
of the younger Cinnamon ride. and whe
they do they either leave off this garner
or turn 1t up and fasten it at the wais
The queue OF hair, which usually is wor
hanging down the back, is brought over Il
shoulder and fastened at the waist. b.
cause their trousers are as long and bags
as Is the average divided skirt used
w~heelwomen here, the men of the Flower
Kingdom invariably use chain guards.
has often been said that Chinese wom'
ride, but this the Shanghai consul en-
phatically denies. He saws that absolute
no woman of any class is ever seen on
bicycle. Bicycles are not made in Chin
All the machines used are imported, al
because of the tariff law American make
are most favored. There are no distin
bicycle dealers, but firms in every kind
business handle wheels as a side line. It
climate is so damp that wood rims do n
stand up we'll. and the old-fashioned ste
rim is distinctly the superior articI
Wheels heavily nickeled are also at a di
advantage because Of the damp air, Ru
accumulates and destroys bright parts We