POPULAR AMUSEMENT ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2489, 22 April 1871, Page 2

POPULAR AMUSEMENT ASSOCIATION.

The adjourned meeting of the above, to arrange for the Winter Entertainments, was held at the City Council Chambers yesterday afternoon. Present —Dr. Hoast, Rev. C. Fraser, Captain Wilson, Messrs Mitchell Wynn Williams, Gordon (hon. sec), J. A. Bird, J. Thomson, R. P. Crosbie, and M. B. Hart. On the motion of Mr GORDON the Rev. C. Fraser took the chair. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed Mr Bird moved—" That tho Winter Entertainments be resumed at as early a dato as possible." Dr Haast seconded the motion which was agreed to. Mr Williams said that Mt Cuffi and himself had visited the Music Hall, and Mr Weber had offered the use of the Hall, tho committee only paying for the gas, which would amount to about £1 per night. Ths seating would cost about £2 per nighf, Mr Thomas offered the chairs at 15s per 100, taking all responsibility as to breakage. With respect to the gallery, Mr Cuff was perfectly satisfied as to its strength. The Chairman said Mr Cuffi had stated that the gallery would be perfectly safo if tho number of persons was confined to 100 persons in all. Mr Williams said that Mr Cuff had told him that two rows of people could be accommodated . safely in the gallery, and this would be far more than fifty persons on each side. The CHAIBMAN said it would be as well to consider whether it might not be better to have the gallery as a sort of reserved seats. ; Mr Gordon then brought up a rough estimate of cost, from which it appeared that the total amount of expenses would be about £7 per night. Mr Williams said he could not see why there should not be a second and advanced price for those who liked to pay the increased admission fee.. He felt that there was a very good reason for this in the limited number which could be admitted to tho gallery. Dr Haast said he objected to the two prices, and he felt it would detract much from the success of the entertainment. He thought there would be serious objections outside to this course. Captain "Willon said it was a matter of necessity and protection for the committee to charge a double price for the gallery, anil as much for the benefit of those below as for any other reason. The Chairman said he had for some time had a project in his mind for the erection of a building in which their entertainments might be held—a plain building of wood or corrugated iron. There was a piece of vacant ground near the Literary Institute—a portion of the Literary Institute grounds—on which a suitable building might be erected. It would perhaps be as well if the Association thought the matter over, and the project might be carried out by means of The want of such a building had been - much felt in Christehurch since th' . Tow £ Hall had been in disuse. Mr Williams thought that ♦' hia was by far too large for conßid^.^ tion afc that meeting. He thought that BQch apro p oßa l was brought forward it sb- ould be at special meeting. I Mr BIRD wished \ Q know if it were nofc possible for a build' nto obtaine d other than the Caute fbu f Music HftU . Its accoustic prope^. tieswe J reexceedinglybadi and he did not tb- iQk it was afc aU a good place< He though .it would perhapß be be tter to wait and what the Town Hal i waß done with. S: a pt. Wilson moved "That the Music ±lP .d be engaged for one night for the winter Entertainments." Mr Crosbie seconded the motion. Mr Williams said he did not know whether Mr Weber would allow the use of the Hall free for one night. He spoke as if the Hall might be had on those terms for the season. The motion was agreed to. Mr Mitchell moved " That the admission to the body of the Hall be sixpence." Mr Hart seconded the motion. Dr Haast moved " That the admission to the whole Hall should be sixpence." Mr Gordon seconded the motion. On being put to the meeting Dr Haast's amendment was withdrawn, and Mr Mitchell's motion was carried. Mr Crosbie then moved " That the admission to the gallery be one shilling." Mr Bird seconded the motion. Dr Haast moved as an amendment — " That the admission to tho gallery be half-a-crown." He thought that if they wanted to make the gallery select they should charge a good price while they were about it, and they might as well get half-a-crown as a shilling.

" Mr WILLIAMS pointed out to Dr Haast that the reason why the extra charge was pat on the gallery was to provide against ■ ■say danger of overcrowding. It was not for the purpose of making any distinction, but simply for the reason above stated. . Captain Wilson said that the reason why he supported it was to get rid of a ntusance which would become insupportable, viz., the i noise made by boys and others in the gallery. Mr Crosbie said that Mr Williams had stated his views fully in the matter. It was necessary in order to limit the number of persons going to the gallery, as the accomdation was limited. Dr HAAST said he thought that those persons who paid sixpences were not more noisy than those who paid one shilling. They •went there with a view of being amused and enjoying themselves. Messrs. Bird, Hart, and Thomson agreed with the view taken by Mr Williams. After some further discussion the motion! was agreed to, Dr. Haast withdrawing his amendment. The next question was the fixing of the day of the first entertainment. Mr Mitchell moved —" That Tuesday be the evenings on which the entertainment, should be held. Mr Thomson and Dr Haast pointed out that this evening was the one upon which the Musical Society held their meetings. 3fr Mitchell then withdrew his motion. Mr Bird said that in Sydney Saturday evenings had been found to be a very good evening for these entertainments. After some discussion, Mr BIBD moved —"That Saturday, the 6th May, be the evening of the first entertainment." Mr Mitchell seconded the motion, which was agreed to. On the motion of Mr Williams, Messrs Mitchell, Crosbie, Thomson, and Dr Haast were appointed as a committee to arrange the musical portion of the programme for the first entertainment. Mr Williams moved—"That Captain Wilson, Messrs Crosbie, Ollivier, and Bird should be appointed as a sub-committee to superintend the readings." Mr HART seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Messrs Wynn Williams, Hart, John Anderson, and Hesketh were appointed as Hall Committee. Mr Cbosbie moved —" That his Honor the : Superintendent be requested to deliver the < inaugural address on the occasion." Mr Mitchell seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Mr Gordon suggested that it might perhaps be as well to arrange for lectures being delivered at the future entertainments, i Their chairman and Dr Haast would be able : to deliver most interesting and instructive i lectures. ' Mr Bird said that when the first enter- i tainmentwas over he should suggest a return ■ to the prizes offered by the association, as < was the case last season. Mr Wynn Williams brought up the fol- 1 lowing report of the committee appointed to report on the state of Latimer square :— i " Christchurch, April 21, 1871. ] " Your committee, aided by the advice of 1 the City Surveyor, having taken into consi- i deration the matter of the Latimer square reserve, with a view to its improvement and i the better adapting it for the purpose of re- '■ creation and out-door amusements, would < suggest that it be at once fenced with a low 1 fence similar to the reserve in Cranmer i square, and that a course be laid down with turf one-half chain wide, to form a running i ground of 440 yards, and that the centre be levelled and prepared for cricket and other games. " That in order to complete the reserve fit for play in spring, it would be necessary to commence the work at once ; and your committee would suggest that the City Council be requested to post notices upon the commencement of the work requesting the public not to enter or use the reserve for a few months, and which, during the winter, i would offer little obstruction to out-door : games. i " Upon calculating the expenditure your . committee have ascertained that the prob- £ able cost would be one hundred and ten ( pounds (£110), namely fencing, £60 ; turf- c ing course, £35; levelling and repairing, i £15 ; and which sum your committee would < propose being raised by two equal amounts 1 —the one by subscriptions from your asso- i ciation, the various clubs, and the general ] public ; the other from the City Council— < and doubt not that the purposes of the ex- 1 penditure being for the public good would . meet with the hearty support of the rate- 1 payers. " H. Wynn Williams, 1 " Chairman; " G. H. Wilson, " W. R. Mitchell, I " Robt. P. Crosbie." 1 Mr Williams moved —" That the report, as I read, be adopted and forwarded to the City t Council." They expected to get half the amount from the City Council, and that by t subscriptions from the residents of the 1 neighborhood, the various clubs, supple- t mented by a grant from their own funds-; c the other hal* would easily be raised, and c the square fenced and placed in a proper £ condition. Attached to the report was a plan of the square as proposed to be prepared, the 1 course being an oblong oval of 440 yards dis- < tance, which would afford a capital course 1 for running and other events. He thought it i was most desirable that the square should be fenced, and planted in the same manner as < Cran_aer square. The prosecution of the '. work would not in any way interfere with 1 the public using the square for games, Sec, i but all that would be required was that the J public would not use it for purposes of i traffic any more than could possibly be helped. Captain Wilson seconded the motion, i which was agreed to. . On the motion of Mr J. A. Bird the meet- < ing then adjourned to Friday next, at 4.30 f p ny, when the reports of sub-committees 1 be received, and other business tran- i Bacted. I — i