SHELTER WANTED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 602, 2 September 1909, Page 4

SHELTER WANTED.

: OPERA HOUSE PATRONS COMPLAIN. •; Yesterday afternoon Messrs. C. A. Ewen'and.' A. 11 lilies called at The, Dominion Office as a deputation representing some 30 or 40 regular patrons of tku dress circle of .the Opera House lo complain of the lack of consideration> shownthem inthat no.provision-is made, for some kind of shelter in the form of a verandah under which they can wait for their cobs on wet nights after, the performance. . "The way we aro treated now is something disgraceful," 6aid Mr. Miles, "and if we do not receive a little consideration it will oe> tainly mean looking elsewhere for evening recreation. Tajto last Tuesday night for ex. ample. It was raining when the povfornianco was over, and wo.wcrb ' absolutely pushed out. on to Hie streaming footpath and into the rain. —tho ladies with their thin shoes and\m« dresses—to got along as best \\e could. The doofs wore shut behind us, so that there was as little option as there was shelter. It was really a wretched scene to Bee the ladies got. ting their finery 'spoiled by the rain during the. time their cabs were .sorting-. themselves out from the confused mass on the road. I don't think people are treated so badly anywhere clso in the world, and vet Wellington is A'ery. faithful to the theatre.'' • " "For its population, ; 6aid llr. Ewon, J. havo heard it is one of the .best show towns in" the world." N '•' ' , . Mr. Miles, added: "What. acoentuales the wholo thing is the "utter laok of any kind of control over the traffic. When we enmo out of the theatre last evening, thero were four pi fivo trams waiting in a line, and between the trams and the footpath was a long string o.' cabs. Those facing west were cabs that hao ! been engaged, but there was a string of caul I that had come in from the other end in th« hope of picking up a fare; so that tho horses of the two centre cabs were facing one another, so that when the first cab-received its fare it could not mov* . away without'a ter- ! riblo lot of manoeuvring. Itbadly needs some 'City Council or police official to control, the traffic at such'times, so that such scones shall not recur. . But Ihe first consideration is to provido shelter for the people who havo to wait until the cabs disentangle, thcmsolvcs-i and in many instances wait in th* rain. Mr; Ewen and I represent a largo number of play, goers, who aro incensed at tho inconvenience, they are put to, and we would like.you to put our "protest against the present wretched 6tate of affairs on record." : '