ALL SEATS SOLD.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19970, 3 July 1930, Page 13

ALL SEATS SOLD.

SATURDAY'S BIG MATCH. BOOKING OPENED LAST NIGHT. Although nearly two hundred people were assembled in a queue by nine o'clock last evening, waiting for the sale of tickets for the 350 extra seats for the Test match next Saturday to open at nine o'clock this morning, their vigil was ended at 11.20 p.m. when the door of tho Canterbury Sports Depot was opened, and the sale of the tickets commenced.

The executive of the Eugby Union held a special meeting last evening, and as more people than could obtain seats were then waiting, it was decided to sell the tickets last night, and so save the queue waiting up all night. Most of the queue consisted of unemployed returned soldiers who were acting as proxies for the purchasers of the tickets. Each man was allowed to buy two tickets and was given £2 for the purpose. The tickets were 10s lid each, eo each man would make a profit of 18s 2d. Members of the queue stated last night that they appreciated greatly the action of the Rugby Union in selling the tickets then, and so allowing them to go homo. Several policemen were present when the sale started, but the proceedings were quite orderly. A crowd that had assembled, to watch had to be moved back occasionally from the door of the Depot. One of the proprietors, Mr A. Dey, had to come up from New Brighton to open the shop. The queue started to form at four o'clock yesterday afternoon, wlien a boy aged 12 took his place at the door of the shop. The main body arrived soon after five. Tho executive of the Returned Soldiers' Association issued each member of the quev.e with a ticket, on which was a number representing his place in the queue. A person could thus leave his place for a few minutes and return and take the same position. About 170 of these tickets were issued, but the issue was not confined to the returned soldiers. When the sale of the tickets started only those with the queue tickets wero admitted. It was the intention of the Rugby Union to sell only one ticket to each man if, when the seats were nearly all sold, it was found that every "queue ticket" holder would not be able to obtain a seat. All the seats were sold by 12.20 this morning.