GREAT INCREASE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 141, 12 December 1923, Page 10

GREAT INCREASE

A^E THE COMPETITIONS TOO

The phenomenal increase in the number of entries -for the Wellington Competitions, and the. question ,ag. to whether the pruning knife should be used on the syllabus, was referred to by Mr. E. Palliser ; president of the Wellington Competitions Society, at the annual meeting of the society last -evenmg. .Mr. Palliser said :— . "It is very gratifying to the members of the executive to direct attention to the v«ry great increase in' the number of entries, this year's total being 3017, an increase of 675 over last year's totaL This phenomenal increase brings us to the point when we must ask ourselves a question which has been' raised in connection with the Blackpool Festival, the largest and.most important festival of its kind in the world. In the issue of the "Blackpool Gazette and Herald,■'„ dated the 16th October, the question 'is being asked: 'Is the .Blackpool Festival becoming too big!' According to Mr. Alfred Kalisch, the 'Daily News' critic, the Blackpool Festival is running a serious risk—the risk of being overwhelmed by. its own success. For the first time in its history,'this year's festival at Blackpool extended over the whole of six full days, and yet our own festival this year extended over three full weeks and one day. This is a very important question, which I commend to the incoming executive for its serious consideration, bearing in mind the effect which a festival extended over a long period has on the competitors and public alike. I personally feel that we cannot overlook the fact that our adjudicators have from year. to year commented about the competitors wearing a tired look, and showing signs of the strain, towards the end of the festival. One may reasonably . aßk—what is the remedy? Here again the advice of our adjudicators could be followed, and the pruning knife used fairly freely in the syllabus ,and all overlapping classes cut out. In addition to this the incoming executive might consider the advisability of acquiring an.extra hall, and app.ointing an extra adjudicator "to take, say, gome of the juvenile classes. It must, of course, be admitted that suggestions such .as these could not. be given effect to in "^the early stages of the society, but .bearing in .mind the present sound position of the society, .developments of a bold nature might reasonably be considered."

In moving the adoption of the report, Mr. C. M:, Bowden referred to 'the president's remarks regarding the Blackpool Festival, stating that he considered that the Wellington Competitions Society was not altogether, on all fours with that of Blackpool. At Blackpool he thought they occupied five halls, and on some days six halls. The,work at Blackpool was also mainly musical, whereas the work at Wellington' wis mainly elocutionary. However, he was sure .that the comments would receive the most careful consideration of the, incoming executive committee. Whether they would be .adopted or hot, they .w^uld be exhaustively .considered,.: and only such a course as was in the best interests of the society would be adopted. Mr. F. <j. Cray said that they should not seek to reduce the list of the festival at all. As- they went on from year to year, they would touch on other matter, and the festival should grow.