CONTROL OF SIDE-SHOWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 9, 11 January 1941, Page 7

CONTROL OF SIDE-SHOWS

(To the Editor.) Sir, —An article appeared in your paper on January 4 which was a statement by Mr. Williams, manager of "Delgados Open-air Vaudeville Show." He touches upon the licensing of showmen and states that the Royal Agricultural Society allows only licensed showmen upon its grounds, and that the Napier Mardi Gras did likewise. Mr. Williams is not quite correct, so I ask for a little space to let the general public know the facts, and to enlighten them about the licensing of showmen. Three years ago, at the Palmerston North Show, the Manawatu A. and P. officials informed the showmen assembled there that before they could j ■operate there they would have to sign a licence. This meant that showmen would have to submit to being finger-j printed, photographed, identification marks recorded, and. state if they had ever been convicted for any offence. And, worse still, when they signed the licence, they almost ceased to be the proprietors of their own business. Every showman objected to such a drastic and unfair licence being forced upon them. It was through this that a meeting was held by the showmen and the New Zealand Showmen's Association (Incorporated) was formed. When the Manawatu A. and P. officials received a deputation! from the Showmen's Association, they decided to suspend the licence, aad all showmen operated. Then many A. and P. associations refused to,' have anything to do with the licence; but at the Auckland Show the licence was enforced. The big majority oi showmen refused to operate. A small minority who did take out licences /later formed an organisation which; is now known as the Showmen's Guild, and they naturally wanted all A.' and P. associations to accept only licensed showmen; but [when many A. and P. associations

perused the Act and the licence, they refused to enforce the licence. Now this is where I want to contradict Mr. Williams's statement "that all shows accepted only licensed showmen." The following A. and P. associations did not operate the present licence: —Hamilton, Taumarunui, and Whakatane Winter Shows, Leeston, Rangiora, Little River, Pahiatua, Hastings, Wairoa, Nelson, Blenheim, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Balclutha, Gore, Masterton, Dunedin, Winton, Wyndham, and Inyercargill Summer Shows. Added to this are the Wairoa Carnival and Napier Mardi Gras. The result was a big line-up of side-shows, much revenue to the A. and P. associations from the letting of side-show space, and the general public (whose admission price to the grounds keep the associations going) got plenty of amusements. On the other hand, the few A. and P. associations who did enforce the licence were in some cases left without one sideshow and very little else in amusements, and lost much revenue from side-show space. Invercargill Show this year enforced the licence, but I venture to state they will not do so next year. I have been an entertainer for 40 years, and along with other members of my association I will not be humiliated by being forced to sign such a document as the present showmen's licence. I love freedom and British fair play. That's why I fought to help retain it as a soldier in the ranks of the A.I.F. in 1914-18.

In conclusion, I would like to state that we members of the New Zealand Showmen's Association would welcome a licence providing it was issued and controlled by the Justice Department, which, in our opinion, is the right authority to administer it. In every other country the police have control of all showmen. Then, if the show business needs cleaning up, the police are the right people to do it. My association is at all times willing to go into conference with the Royal Agri-

cultural Society to help to bring about a good method to control showmen. But let it be a just and fair one.—l am, etc., CASSIM MAHOMET, Secretary, N.Z. Showmen's Association (Inc.)