WEMBLEY.

Evening Star, Issue 18809, 6 December 1924, Page 6

WEMBLEY.

A cAßtr. message which we publish to-day states that (he executive of the Wembley Exhibition bns unanimously decided to continue next year. That goes some way to clear up an uncertainty which has lasted inconveniently long, but it does not go the whole way. The people who have been most anxious for a resumption have been the guarantors, composed of tho British Government and large private firms, who are anxious to save a loss of £1,700,000 which confronts them as a body in existing circumstances. For that purpose the Exhibition might be continued in its entirety, or it might be resumed merely as a great private show, not including the dominion courts. Tho guarantors’ chance of retrieving any great part of their losses would not appear to ho particularly bright. An attendance of 7,000,000 will bo required next year for the mere covering of the expenses of resumption before any profit can bo made. The attendance this year was 17,000,000, including 5,000,000 school children, admitted at reduced charges, so that (he full-value attendance might be set down probably at not much more than 14,000,000. Better weal her may help next year, but returns have been quoted to show that cold and wet were more propitious to Wembley than warm and settled days. Tho guarantors have a chance, however, of recovering their losses, and everybody must hope that they will do so. The holders of amusement concessions, also, will stand to gain. Tho position naturally would be dilferent for the dominion Governments, who have shown less desire for a reopening. If they continue their courts they can only do so at tho cost of more expense, for salaries of officials and attendants and other charges, and their pavilions are not revenue-producing. Wc have yet to hear whether the dominions will be officially represented or not in the continued Exhibition, and a question of equal interest will be for what time it is to bo continued.