OVER £100.

Northern Advocate, 7 November 1934, Page 7

OVER £IOO.

GYMKHANA PROFIT. . SUCCESS RECOGNISED. REPEAT SCHEME LAUNCHED ALREADY. “ N ' The Labour- Day .week-end Gymkhana has netted the Whangarei A. & ! P. Society a profitof £lll 12/1. This satisfactory state of affairs was, disclosed when' .the balance sheet was presented to the final meeting of the ; committee responsible for organising i the effort, held under the chairmanship of Mr T. J. Griffin last night. Gate takings for the Gymkhana proper were £317 14/, donations totalled £69, and entry fees £B9. In prize money and trophies, £l9B 11/was paid out. The actual profit of the Gymkhana was £ 152 4/6, but from this had to be deducted a loss of £4O 14/6 1 , on the band contest. Deficits also occurred in the tug-of-war and boxingwrestling competitions. In every case expenditure was kept below the allocation of the Finance Committee. -

“The Gymkhana will put the A. & P. Society back on the map in people’s minds again,” said the president,- Mr Griffin, expressing his gratification with the result achieved. “In addition to the cash, much goodwill has been built up for the society,” “Not a Loss.” i

The general opinion was that the supposititious loss on the band contest was not a real one, as the music and the novelty of the marching musicians had drawn many to the park. Comment was made upon the dense crowd in town on the Saturday afternoon, when the bands marched through, and the surprisingly few who had attended later at Kensington. “It simply shows that you cannot draw the* people far from the shopping area on a Saturday afternoon,” one speaker commented., Mr C. P. Butler: “The band contest was a big feature of the Gymkhana, and I hope that next year we will have more here, and that we will be able to hold all the competitions on the Sunday.” Dr. G. Walker: “Then you will be opposed by the church population, who do not object so much, when attractions are staged after church hours.” Several committeemen suggested that the best way out would be for the society to support Saturday halfholiday. Next Year. The secretary’s action in reserving the park for Labour Day week-end, 1935, was approved, and the committee passed a recommendation to the A. & P. Society that another gymkhana be held at that time. Support was promised from the Whangarei Motor Cycle Sports Club, the Maungatapere Sports Club, the Northern Athletic Union, and the Whangarei Amateur Athletic Club, the latter conditional upon proper arrangements being made for the control of the crowd. ( A vote of appreciation was accorded the Motor Cycle Sports Club for the spectacular events which prdved such a popular portion of the programme. Although the club declined to accept prize money, Mr Griffin intimated that the matter or a trophy would be discussed at the next A. & P. Executive meeting. The club also offered support for the Motor Gymkhana which is mooted as a means of popularising the Spring Show.