OVERCROWDING AT THE TOWN HALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15610, 15 May 1914, Page 4

OVERCROWDING AT THE TOWN HALL.

Sir,— City Council recently passed some very stringent and almost impossible by-laws referring to the public buildings of this city. These by-laws were passed for the express purpose of securing the safety of the public. Tin's is quite right. A little latitude might always he allowed in most cases, But the City Council, through its traffic inspector, says: "No." One of the by-laws says that no "one, except bona-fide officials or servants, shall be allowed to stand in any of the aisles When the traffic inspector is asked why ho allowed the Town Hall to be overcrowded to suffocation ' his reply is always : " I have nothing to do with the Town Hall." As traffic inspector he has full control of all buildings, aud he certainly should guard the people's safety in the munici-pally-owned building. This building is controlled by the City Council. No prosecution has ever taken place for overcrowding the Town Hall, vet it has been overcrowded to a frightfully dangerous extent; not a case of one Or a dozen standing, but possibly a thousand. 1 have never seen ! raid) masses of humanity crowded into a building as on the occasion of the Northern Boxing Association's competitions, when Johnny Summers and Hoch Keys fought 15 rounds. There must have been at least 700 standing. I am told that at the farewell concert of the Royal Artillery Band people were standing in every available cranny. I suppose it, will be admitted that at Sir Joseph Ward's meeting every inch of standing room was availed of— papers said 4000 were presentand I know that at Mr. Massey's meeting the same thing occurred; also on Monday night last every inch of standing room and the staircases were availed of at the Bible in schools demonstration. Now, the Town Hall is certainly the most dangerous building in Auckland. It is dreadful to think of what might occur if a panic took place, and the crowds from the two galleries met, more especially it a meeting was being held in the concert chamber at the same time. The galleries and concert chamber all egress from the same door, and it is a very small one at that. I venture to say that no other building half as badly constructed for exits would get a license at all. 1 don't know what our city councillors are about to allow their traffic inspector to prosecute theatres for trivial overcrowding when he does not do his duty by prosecuting those who overcrowd the Town Hall to the extent of 1000. I was prosecuted for one man standing who had got up out of his seat to leave the Opera House. As the city councillors make these stringent bylaws, surely it is up to them to see that they are obeyed in the one building over which they have direct control. 8 John* Ftiuit.