CHILDREN IN ALLNIGHT QUEUE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 260, 30 July 1937, Page 13

CHILDREN IN ALLNIGHT QUEUE

System Created by Lack of Organisation MINISTER’S COMMENTS ON MEDICAL CRITICISM "It is the demand and lack of organisation to meet it that creates the con ditions deplored by Dr. McKinnon,” said the Minister ot Internal Affairs, Hon. W. E. Parry, when referring last evening to the doctoi s condemnation of a system which had permitted young boys and girls to wait the night long in a Dunedin queue to obtain tickets for the Otago-Southland football match. “It is not often.” continued the Minister, “that all-uigh't queues of the kind are formed in New Zealand, but our country is fast developing, and the bigger the event to happen the bigger is the demand made by the people to (Secure admission. In Auckland and in Wellington recently the same scenes as the scene complained of in the south were to be witnessed —a long row of people, young and middle-aged, waiting throughout, the night for the elick of the door-lock between them and tickets for star football matches. "It is held that, the presence of young folk particularly in these queues is harmful physically and morally. I do not know if that is so—the queues I have seen have been perfectly orderly in every way—but it cannot be good for anybody to have to . wait under any conditions to secure tickets for any event. It seems to me to be all a question of organisation and control. In the Dominion to-day we do not seem to shine in dealing with circumstances of the kind. “I have long viewed the necessity for an efficient, national organisation to cope with all these matters as being of urgent and paramount importance in line with the progress of our country and interest of the people in all things tlijit matter to their success, enjoyment, and general well-being. It is one of the guiding principles concerned in the proposals now. under consideration for the establishment in New Zealand of a National Sports Council. 11 “I feel so much could be done that would be helpful in the co-ordination of organisations controlling sports bodies that would reflect success in grappling with all issues arising . in. which the people play a leading part. The dovetailing of interests of all bodies when big events are being prepared for would bring cohesion of effort, which would help so much in preventing a number of things occurring to cause vexation and probably to mar the success of a particular event.” Mr. Parry said the reports to be submitted at the conference of representatives of New Zealand sports bodies, called for August 17, would provide scope for a discussion on many matters in which a helping hand from the bodies was necessary. The doctor’s statement to which the Minister refers appeared in “The Dominion” yesterday.