Increased Entries For Competitions

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31984, 10 May 1969, Page 14

Increased Entries For Competitions

Entries in this year's annual competitions run by the Christchurch Competitions Society. were well up on those for last year, said the society’s secretary (Mr R. M. Minson). In the vocal sections entries were higher than since the 1962 jubilee competitions. In the dancing sections, the only sections for which figures were yet available, there had been an increase of almost 300 to 1721 entries, Mr Minson said. "There has been a gratifying response to one of the new classes, that for an aria from any standard opera. This class has been ineluded with a $lOO scholarship from the Gilbert and Sullivan Society and has attracted 25 entries," he said. It had been necessary to split the class into two to cope with the numbers, Mr Minson said. "We have done away with certificates for place-getters and have reinstituted prize money, and this could be partly responsible for the increase in entries,” he said. i “I have not got the full : figures but entry money has been up by. more than 8100 i this year and since the fees

have not gone up this represents quite a boost in entries,” he said. Two other new classes this year were for folk songs and gymnastics, but there had not been as encouraging an entry as in the operatic aria class. There are six major sections in the competitions: speech and drama, vocal, instrumental, ballet and tap dancing, national dancing and gymnastics. Three school halls, a church hall and a broadcasting studio will be used for the competitions which begin today and continue for a week. “Last year was the first for some time that the society made a reasonable profit and we hope to be able to do the Mme this year,” he said.

Seaman Injured.—A 28-year-old Japanese seaman, Shosuke Wyamai, from the trawler Koryo Maru No. 18, was landed at Lyttelton yesterday morning suffering from fractured ribs. He was taken to the Christchurch Public Hospital and his condition yesterday afternoon was described as satisfactory. The trawler sailed yesterday afternoon.