CARNIVAL AT NEW YEAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 158, 22 September 1941, Page 4

CARNIVAL AT NEW YEAR

WITH all due respect to the arguments raised by Mr C. C. Southey against the staging of the New Year's Eve Carnival we feel that general opinion in Whakatane will endorse the decision of the Chamber of Commerce to repeat last year's successful gala. The publicity received l|y our town as a result of the Carnival was particularly gratifying and there were many present from a distance, who have assured us that they will come again and again. Whakatane by this means was 'put on the map.' The whole idea was to boost the town, the district, its resorts, its attractions, its commercial interests and in doing so to afford, its own residents the opportunity of enjoying themselves in their own town without going elsewhere. Its success was instantaneous and we have yet to hear a single dissatisfied opinion. From a .business and trading point of view it is only necessary to get comparative figures from shopkeepers to realise the stimulating effect it had upon business. This point of view however is secondary to the broader one—the success of the carnival. Whakatane initiated the Carnival in war-time, as an antidote to depression and worry. The assertion therefore that it is ill-timed applied just as much then as it does now. Even though the reasons given may have their points we do not feel that the lighter side of life should be entirely ignored merely because we are at war. In making this statement we are minded of the impromptu concerts staged in the public shelters of London during the 'blitz,' of the official entertainers who accompany the troops almost into the battle areas, of the endless fun-making campaigns staged in the interests of Patriotic and Red Cross appeals. All these indicate the desire of people under a strain for wholesome entertainment. Surely there can be no harm in endeavouring to make our town brighter and more widely known on New Year's Eve. Should* we stagnate rather than take, advantage of a festival which as everybody knows will be celebrated all over the world—even in the very trenches themselves? We fail to see now any real exception can be taken to the spending of a, little money. in the towns interest and in affording a little innocent pleasure to the townsfolk. Thus while we respect the arguments put forth against the holding of the Carnival we feel on the other hand that the broader outlook is more desirable and that the Carnival will this year be more warmly welcomed than ever.