PUBLIC HALLS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 76, 31 March 1913, Page 8

PUBLIC HALLS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

(To fie Editor.) Sir.—lt is well the above subject is being again ventilated. The Auckland public are a long-suffering community f:>i all and sundry to plunder, not even excepting their amusements and recreations. As one correspondent pointed out, the gallery —which often saves the situation—is most poorly appointed as to comfort. Even if you get a seat, and try to make yourself comfortable, the

'■ chocolate boy" comes and wipes his boots on your pants, and often treads on yirur pet corn. Abolish him by all BV'.an?. ]f people cannot go to a "theatre for a few hours without eating, I would class them the same as "children in arms." Next comes the usher "chucking " programmes abou-t instead of handing them to each person as they come in. Our Council, as in Napier and other cities, should build us a decent theatre, and run it right bang iip-to-date.—l am, et< -\- "" EARLY DOOR. <To-tne Editor.) r - —I am glad to notice from your correspondence columns that "One of the Cods," Reader/ and other members of the general public are supporting Councillor Long's proposal to abolish the senseless queue system. In most of the theatres and music halls in the leading towns in America and Canada, each patron receives a ticket bearing the number of his seat, so on the night of the performance he goes straight to his seat just before the opening of the performance, without waiting in a queue or fighting in a scrimmage at the ticket office. A ticket can be bought for a performance weeks ahead. This struck mc as a much more sensible method than the absurd queue system prevailing here and in conservative England. That early door charge is another matter requiring rectification, as it is a barefaced swindle. So many patrons now pay this charge that one is no better off by doing so. because one now has to stand in a" early-door queue in place of an ordinary queue, and it .just means that the management squeeze an extra 1 /- out of the unfortunate patrons, who still have to endure the discomforts of that temper-trying, eoldprodueinz anachronism —the queue.—l am., etc.. R- J. COATES.