ALL-NIGHT QUEUES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1937, Page 4

ALL-NIGHT QUEUES

FOR FOOTBALL SEATS LACK OF ORGANISATION The demand, and the lack of organisation to cope with it, were re- ■ sponsible for a system which allowed young boys and girls to wait all night . long in a Dunedin queue to obtain tickets for the Olago-Southland footboll match, stated the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) last night, when commenting on the remarks made by Dr. Seideberg McKinnon, who condemned this state of j affairs. "It is not often," continued the Minister, "that all-night 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 click of the door-lock between them and tickets for star football matches. "It is hold 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 today 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 that 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. .. "The dove-tailing; 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.