OVERCROWDING OF THEATRES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4875, 22 May 1918, Page 6

OVERCROWDING OF THEATRES.

COUNCIL TO TAKE ACTION; Questions of interest to theatregoers were under discussion by the Borough Council last evening. The secretary to the Hospital Board wrote bringing under the notice of the Council the fact that the houses of amusement in Gisborne were habitually overcrowded. The facts were brought under the notice of the Board by the Health Inspector, who stated that extra seats were placed in the buildings and people wore permitted to stand or sit in the aisles. This practice was considered a danger to the health of the public and a grave menace to public safely in an emergency. Mrs E. Smith wrote drawing attention to the fact that in spite of the Council’s previous efforts to secure a fair number of stall and pit seats in the Opera House, on Tuesday, “May 14, although stalls were advertised .at 4s 2d and nit at 2s Id only one row was reserved for holders of nit tickets and two rows for stalls. The stall seats were in the pit. Before the doors opened hundreds were waiting and an appalling rush for tickets ensued. Women fainted and were knocked' down. The women of Gisborne of moderate means trusted the Council would see that they got a fair deal in future. The letter was written at the request of many other women.—The Mayor said they had better hold consideration over till they had the report of the committee. The Committee reported as follows:—The matter of overcrowding of places of amusement and allowing the passage ways to be obstructed by seats and people standing therein, was considered, when it was decided to recommend that a by-law he prepared dealing with the matter specifically and making it compulsory that all tickets sold shall be numbered and represent a seat which shall be used by the purchaser. The clerk was also asked to notify the various proprietors that all passage ways must be kept clear of seats or obstructions, otherwise prosecutions would follow. >—The report was adopted.