The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-01

officials to build It, The plan for having
this path constructed has had almost the
entire attention Of the L. A. w. execu
tive committee for the past three weeks
ana the preparatory work will be pushed
with every energy until the work of con-
structlon Is actually under way. .,f
80 The secretary of the League of Ameri-
. can Wheelmen Is beginning to receive the
nrSt large numbers of renewals Of mem
oersnlps that expire, on April l. The
outlook. for the league. as Indicated bv
tnese, renewals, is brighter than 1t has
SeeIl Tor some years. and shows the syrn
Pdthy OF the members In the active work
now being done for side-paths. good
. ROADS, touring and the securing of
Wheelmen's rights
oioe-path bills have been introduced in
/ tiie stare LEGISLATURES by the L. A. w d.
visions In Maine, New HAMPSHIRE Ohio
iowa and Colorado. They are patterned
after the famous New York law ,,,nder
which nearly 300 miles of paths were con
strueted last year This particular bi |
well known to Wheelmen in New York as
the Ellsworth law. was passed through
the efforts of the New York division. Z.
"a W. alone. 1t is so nearly perfect as
TO form model for all other states
President Conway w Sans. Of the r
A. W. In speaking Of the side-patil move
ment, says: 1T is true we are daef 1edIv
IN earnest about this matter, and we in
tend to demonstrate that the L. A. w. is
an actual necessity to every wheeiman in
the land. We do this by securing the
privileges, pleasures and acc ommodations
they SO much desire. This can be accom-
plished ideally only by organfzat ton ON
big scale, and l want TO ask every CIV.
clist in the United States to send in his
or her application for membership that
we may have such force of numbers AMI
finances that we will be able to s,.cu 6
anything we want within reason Cyclists
owe 1t to themselves and the L. A w to
become members of this organzati5n."
The membership of the l.. A. w In
creased 10 per cent during the first three
months of the year.
| Pretoria cycle agent thinks trade in
| high grade machines will be very good In
| the Transvaal after the war-a rather
/ indefinite epoch, peEhaps-but he insists
! on the necessity of good machines being
| exported. There is no doubt but that a
trade Will spring up with great readi-
! ness, once hostilities have ceased Owing
to the destruction of railways and the
/ lack Of other means of locomotion. the
| cycle will of necessity prove Of immense
! value Again. owing to the markets
/ having been practically closed for a
! time, the supply of cycles available will
I be SMALL unless some enterpr.sing men
| provide for It,
I. Payment Of the bicycle tax In France Is
| proved by a small plate affixed to the
| machine every year, but the government
| now proposes to issue plates good for
| four years. The holder must have his
! name and address engraved at his own
Int En {e
! plates when necessary, producing the
/ fragments of the old. Should he cease
! to own a bicycle he must at once de-
| posit his plate to have name struck off
the list of persons liable to the tax.
There are about fifty bicycles in the
! Island of Antigua, British West Indies.
which has q population of $1,000. as
I against twenty-five machines year ago.
! All but four or five are of American
| manufacture, and are owned by natives
| Three conditions mitigate against a
| more extensive use of the wheel, viz
! The poverty Of the people; the tropical
heat, which renders riding between s a.
| m. and 4. p. m. almost Impossible, esDe-
| cially for whites, and the abominabIe con-
| dition Of the roads leading between the
| various points of the island.
| The bicycle era has been little slow In
| getting to Cuba with it's full strength
but it Is there now, and wheel cranks are
| developing rapidly.
You can scarcely so on any street that
you do not find a bicycle store urging
the merits Of some wheel, and now they
| are practically all American wheels that
are finding a, market.
Havana is not a good wheel city be-
cause of the bad payements In the heart
| OF the town there Is no place except the
Prado. from Central park to Punta,
about ten New York city blocks, where
| the riding IS decent Here there Is a
macadam, or alleged macadam, pavement
The Prado is very wide. there being q
| siXty-foot road on either side of the
raised paseo or promenade. The wheel
men and wheelwomen do not confine
| themselves to the roadway. Even In the
1 afternoon. when the paseo is crowded
bicycles tear up and down the smooth
| course to the great annoyance Of all the
| premenaders.