MR. SCOTLAND'S MISFORTUNE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 6

MR. SCOTLAND'S MISFORTUNE.

1 -! am glad for the lialioi.tr of New Zealand that a -protest is hiring cm* tcrcd against the unseemly eo.tuhict of tho mob which broke over tlio harrier of the Athletic Grounds last Saturday, and some of whom, had it not been for the intervention of the police and soitie respectable people, looked as if they wsfo going to wreck Scotland's biplane. This hstd been preceded by boo-hooiiig and cries to Scotland to fly; there seem- , ed to bo not tho smallest consideration iof or thought to the risk of bis fifo in-. volved, It'is hardly credible that tiro ilioh wished to murder tho wail; it was moro than evident. that they had not even considered tho point Thorf conduet reminded me of the stoning from behind which I had the shame of seeing ' 011 Lamb-ton Quay. As a mark of sympathy with tho cftutago showfi by Scotland, I Ssb yen to be good enough to forward him tlio enclosed donation of olio guinea.—l am, BONNY PLAY. IWo shall be pleased to forward tho cheque enclosed as reipiestol,]. Sir,—'l notieq,in to-day's paper that Mr. Scotlancl is -of opinion that the Wellington people aro not s,pOrfem-aij<-like. I cspcc-ted t:o seo some comment on tho fiasco of last (Saturday, but as. none has ■appeared may I trespass oil your space in defence of tlio Wellington public P

A flight was advertised for Saturday : afternoon, aiid a crowd of people rolled up ami paid for admission to tho A thiol Park. It is, I think, a, well-recog-, niied fact that all who pay for admission to seo a balloon ascent sr other : aerial demonstration are people of a fair and libera) disposition, who ISeiievfe in paying for what they get, fot a good ! view may ho obteined' from tlio street : or surrounding -hills for nothing. I was one of the e-rowcl wis waited patiently m tho cold wind for something to hap- \ pen, but I was of opinion that r.o flight should bo attempted as wo Were, not there to see a man endanger his- life however daring or willing lib might bo. Mr. Scotland was not in any way to blame, nlid any hostile demonstration ® a .T perhaps bo explained, as follows;— }' ! ® promoters of the affair should have, had sufficient knowledge of flying to i sonje idea" a-S toil nether Saturday was a suitable day for f "'"lit, and if a fair southerly was Mowing at 3.30 p.m., then, the man in tug street could, have told anyone interested that in .Wellington sueii a wind Was not likely ta drop- before evening, the promoters should have realised this f and if they accepted money at the gates they shouM have taken reasonable precautious to,, protect their patrons from loss xii the eyent of, there being no j Slight _ This could easily 'have been done i by giving each person a check slip in i return for his admission money, which i could have been cashed in tlio event of a return of money being asked for, The ! issue of passes for another day was a . farce, for out of the crowd who patroniso any Saturday afternoon a (fair, how many are able or prepared to attend. Again during the following week at -any uncertain time p The force was .all the .mo.ro objectionable reason of the 'fact that money wit's stilt being taken at tho .gates after all hope of. Hying had been abandoned. This fact was'noticed and commented mi by a large number of people near rue, and probably .accounted lor any hostile demonstration. Prom what I saw, 1 feel siure tliat th-.; feeling was not against Mr. Scotland personally, but against, t'ho promoters, and ho being the central figure received, the .bnuit of it, I feci su-ro that everyone of us would cheerfully .have forfeited a second. admission if we could 'affiord' iti. ratlier-'tliiii see a man risk liis life, but the p'roKio.ters deserve uo sympathy, because l-'hey .could havO taken preca'.uions with regard to a pos- ■ sible refund of admission money, and considering tlio nature <jf -tho exhibition and Wellington's well-known, wind, any reasonable and fair body of promoters would have done . so. The issuing <b£ passes for another occasion put Mr. Scotland. in the position of being unt'er a a obligation to attempt a flight wit.hta a reasonable time, nb matter what the weather might 1)6) and any accident re-* suiting to him would be directly due to • tin mismanagement of those promoting tho affair. . •Mr. Scotland has flie sympathy of myself, and. I ani confident Of every otln-r ■lever of sport, liut a crowd wjiieli willingly pays its money over for ft snow exacts fair treatment, and _ taking in one v at tho gate when there is little chance of the show <.n emulating always .causes ill-feeling, and is only expected from itinerant -showmen, ftf a very m* feriof class.—l am. etc., . . ONE OP THE CROWD.