CHITS FOR SEATS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 12, 14 July 1930, Page 7

CHITS FOR SEATS

■THE TEST AT AUCKLAND

AN EXCITED TOWN

EARLY BIRDS GET WORM

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. Although it had been advertised that the plan for grandstand accommodation at Edon Park for the third Test "match between Britain and Now Zealand would open at 8 o'clock this morning, a large crowd ■which waited to form the queue outside Mr. J. H. Watt's sporfs depot yesterday morning was informed that the plan was already full. Tcoplo ; wishing to book seats had takoi! rii yositions as early as Saturday aitfiin'o;!, ;;i](l shortly after midnight, ■when the largo crowd was braving rain showers, -O,lr. Watts, who is in charge of the booking arrangements, decided to issue chits to the first in order to the limit. •of accommodation. Indignation ■at tho action of the authorities was freely expressed by people who continued to gather after the chits had been issued. They held that there had been a distinct breach of faith, that . booking had been allowed to proceed , bei'ore the advertised time, and not a few of them said they were still prepared to wait until 8 o'clock this morning. Chits, they said, were illegal, nnd could not be recognised. ACT OF HUMANITY. A statement on the matter was made by Mr. "Watts*. The queue started to form at 1.15 on Saturday afternoon, he said, when there were several boys and some women present in Exchange Lane prepared to spend two, nights in. the open to secure seats. At 9 o'clock there were about 20 people in the queue, and when he returned to the office again shortly after midnight the crowd was even larger. By this time it was raining heavily. "I could not let people stand out in the rain, and so I opened the building," Mr. "Watts said. "There were more than enough people to book all the accommodation available, so I decided to issue chits. These -were issued in. order, preference being given to people who had been at the head of the queue. Although no actual booking was done, it was explained that the chits would be redeemed this morning. The chits were numbered and booking trill have to be in the order of the cMts." Mr. Watts said he' was placed in a somewhat awkward position. People had come prepared to wait for two Bights before the opening of the plan, but when he arrived he could not stand by and let them wait in the rain and cold without shelter. As the was carried out on the principle of **flrst come, first served," and as there were sufficient people there to book all tke seats, he felt he acted rightly in issuing the chits. TWO HUNDRED TUBNBD AWAY. "I had to turn over 200 people away after I had issued the chits," Mr. Watts continued. "Those who are now complaining about the procedure would rot havn been able to obtain seats even if the queue had been formed and the plan opened this morning. There •were only about 500 seats available, and as all those at the head of the queue on Saturday evening wished to tray six seats, the individual limit which has been, imposed, there would have been none left in any case. I issued between 70 and 80 chits and this accounted for all the seats." After the chits had been issued a notice saying that "the plan was full was posted, but those who were not among tho lucky 70 rr 80 preferred to disregard this. An advertisement had stated that the plan would be opened at 8 o'clock this morning, they said, and they intended to adhere to that. Crowds continued to gather in Exchange - Lane yesterday morning. The notice boaid outside Mr. Watts's shop had been pulled down and was used by four optimists as an improvised card-table. UNBELIEVING CROWD. The crowd refused to believe that the -plan was full,*"and a late-comer was hopeful enough to pay a man £2 for a place near tho head of the queue, a place which was altogether worthless. By yesterday afternoon the lane was crowded. One man had brought a portable tent with him and . several people made themselves comfortable on deck-chairs- Mr. H. Frost, chairman • of the Management Committee of the Auckland *Eugby Union, arrived shortly after 4 o'clock accompanied by Mr. T. W. Maben, secretary; and Mr. A. Billhigton, treasurer. Mr. Frost attempted to address the crowd, but; there was a running fire of interjections. Mr. Frost explained that Mr. Watts had used his judgment, and, he thought, had acted quite rightly under the circumstances. A young man who appeared to, represent a fair body of opinion in tho crowd said "he and others refused to recognise the issue of chits. They would be prepared to contest tho rights of the lioklcTs of th'o chits to book seats. * TEMPORARY STAND TO BE ERECTED. "If wo hnd 10,000 grandstand seats wo could sell them all right," Mr. Frost said. "However, all those in the main stand aro now taken, but we are erecting a temporary stand behind the goal-, posts at the western end of the ground. This will accommodate about 1200 and a plan for scats on it will be opened on Tuesday." "Give us chits for that," several people shouted. After a little more discussion the Rugby .Union officials left, the . way through the crowd being cleared for them by two policemen. Later, members of the crowd, realising the futility of further waiting, g,»***u*B<i their belongings and followed Questioned afterward, Mr. Frost said he had no core/wist to >iakc on the matter. The peopie at tho head of the queue had first claim on she seats available, and Mr. Watts had issued the chits merely to save them from ■waiting in the rain for a day and two nights. The main stand at Eden Park provides seating accommodation for about 1400, but with the seats allocated to tho New Zealand Rugby Union, eonntry unions, and city clubs, all of ■which have to be paid for, only between 400 and 500 remained for booking.