THE QUEUE SYSTEM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 606, 8 September 1909, Page 8

THE QUEUE SYSTEM.

WHY/NOT IN WELLINGTON? , To'.those who ' have ; stood: ; in- -Manners btreet and watched the crowds fighting' for entranco.-tb the -.Opera'.House on' tho' opening of the,doors,,,thc present system appears to be. almost barbaric. In advanced and populous !cointmmitics it would .not bo tolerated. ; rho,-.subject was broached last evening to M r . George Smith, Mr.'J. C.' Williamsons manager with the "Jack and Jil>" 1 antomime Company,- and, so far from expressing; views in; palliation of the'systemor lack of one-he Stated that it was .!£, v X c . r y b , a(l a ,nd compared most unfavour-ably-with what he had.been,accustomed to. at; Home, in Australia, and, indeed, in some towns in New Zealand. ..'•. . •■ \ > '.'I .have watched thenf fighting., at the doors, and have seen women come in with torn: ana- broken umbrellas,:, and have wondered whr a better system has/not been evolved in Welhngton-the queue system,, for instance. , ■.-■-..- - ; ■' ,\ ' . ;!Wo are handicapped in Wellington in 1 the farst.instance by;the .fact, that: the' City Council demands that,the doors shall open outwards, so that when 1 there is a bi" crowd" pressing against tho doors -it is a very difficult task to open them, as tho crowd must necessarily be forced ■,backwards;a little to enable the'doors to bo swung open outwards. If this, were not so, 1 sonio : of the v inconvenience now suffered .would be spared tho public.,.:.- But even, then it would not bo satisfactory. * ~"Sh e : Q ueue system is wanted" badly l -'in Wellington, particularly as tho Opera' House faces one.ol;. .tho. narrowest: .and' busiest thoroughfares, . and also •in the name of decency, and, good order. It may be a little dimcult- to ■ establish/such' a . system, ' 'but race lt.is established it works automatically, that is to say the public itself insists on the maintenance of the queue, and anyone rash enough to attempt-to get a place in tront of.-the.one whielr.be is justly entitled to Has to face the righteous wrath of everyone else in the queue. This, system .has- Keen established m Auckland, and it works splendidly- lhe result is that everyone gets into the theatre in ■ a decent manner, on tho first:come, best served' principle, and noono in tho possession of his senses attempts to break .into the ; queue. out of his or -her place. It v has. also been instituted in .Christchurch, and is.being established.in Dunedin. Wellington, where it is most'needed, owing to the situation of the Opera House, is,the worst off in this regard.. _ Incidentally, it should be mentioned that Mr. bmith hasbeon in communication with the police on tho matter, andis asking that a couple of constables be dofaiVd for special duty for an hour for an evening or'two to insist that the .crowd shall ;lino up two by . two—a double file—instead of swarming round the; doors and: blocking! the footpath, as is now tho case...;