LIVING WHIST AND CHESS TOURNAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 303, 23 December 1898, Page 2

LIVING WHIST AND CHESS TOURNAMENT.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —1 feel it my bounden duty as hon. manager and organiser of the Living Whist and Chest Tournaments which have taken place and are yet to be produced at the A.I.M.E. to write ; this letter, trusting you will afford ;me space for it in your valuable j column. jWe have now had two performances |of the living whist, the first, acording |to the number present, should have j produced £75 at least; the second; j which has been voted by the Auckland j public to be a truly gorgeous spec- | tacle, should according to the uumI bers present have, yielded about £40. I What are the real results as reported? A sum very considerably less, owing as I suppose to the number of free admissions in the house; and this in spite of the rule 'No free list.' I point this out because even I had to purchase seats for my friends. There is no doubt that the old adage, 'Too many cooks, etc' is in | this'case perfectly true. The tourna- ! merit management, was given one man Ito work With, viz.. the treasurer, and ; had matters been left in his hands all ; would have been a pronounced sucjes: but no, there is so much artificial i red tape, 'tommy rot,' and mis- ! management, that before one little reI qnisition is authorised several people (must have their say. f The Executive fixed the dates for I the Living Whist Tournaments for 110 th and 17th December, when visitors from the country are conspicuous by | their absence. They have fixed the. ; date for the first performance of Living Chess for the lOth January, when the large influx of people from i parts is over and a general exodus has j taken place. ; I may state that T. as hon. mana- ■ ger. my colleague (Mr G. D. Ingall) as assistant, and our large number ot ladies and gentlemen who have wili li.ngly given a large amount of their I time to make this pronounced success, have never been asked or consulted as to dates. Many people were ' so charmed with the beauty of the I performance of living whist on the j 17th inst. that they are begging for j its repetition. This has been refused.! Why? 'Because- it is too much ex- j pense." What .folly! and utter non- I sense! when nil they have to do now I is t<-> nrodnce U i'l all its beauty onfc j or twice more, faking care to exclude all 'dead heads,' and by so doing recoup the expense. Because (1) they nay the standing weekly rent for the Choral Hall. whether we are occupying the building or not: (2) the primary outlay for the dresses is over: (3) so also the expense of the splendid limelight effects supplied by Mr Mackey. "We must again remind the Executive that we have no orchestra, therefore there iV no expense on that score,_and Mr Phil-

pott kindly gave his services free at the organ. .

And in conclusion, Mr Editor, I ma3 r say that.if the. Exhibition do not recoup themselves over these tournaments, I take no blame, for 1 have nob been consulted in many matters; and any failure rests entirely elsewhere. 1 would ask you to allow me this opportunity of thanking all my performers and co-workers for " their assistance.—l am, etc., HON. MANAGER.