BOX SEAT AT THE FOOTBALL MATCH.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8881, 5 August 1907, Page 1

BOX SEAT AT THE FOOTBALL MATCH.

y \ With a crowd estimated at nearly | 50,000 it can well be imagined that jS | iate-comcrs at the first football r \ match at Sydney between the New Zealanders and the Now South Wales team could not secure a position to view tho play (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). Some climbed up the electric lighting poles ; others braved the dangers of the barbed wire and mounted the fences, while it took a strong force of police to keep tbs enthusiasts off | the roofs oi the dan da and booths. | Thera w-re many thousands who saw nothing oi the play. One latecomer, who is apparently only lured to the football matches of to day by an “ All Black ” combination, and ‘ who put in tho first fifteen minutes of tho big match looking for a position from which to view it, but without success, struck a happy idea, and one v.'hieh brought in a great deal of revenue to the proprietor of the booth near tho smokers’ reserve. “ I've paid my two bob to eoo these wonderful “ All Blacks,” said the late-comer, “ and see them I will.” Turning to his friend he exclaimed, “ Gome and have a drink.” The friend wanted to know what that had to do with seeing the play. “ You’ll see,” said the' late-comer, and after tho glasses had been cleared he remarked to the booth proprietor, “Have you any empty gin cases ? ” “ No,” replied the caterer for refreshments. “Well, have you boxes of any bind ? ” “ Yes, i have plenty of soda-water boxes.” “Well, I want two; how much for the afternoon ? ” “A bob each,” replied the booth proprietor, and the late-comer and his friend departed with smiles of satisfaction, and a bos each. Taking up a good position, and standing on tho hired boxes, the lata-comers had an excellent view. For twenty minutes after they had established themselves the pioneers of the box-hiring scheme were busy informing anxious enquirers where they had obtained their boxes, and tho price, with the result that tho booth proprietor was kept busy emptying his cases and hiring them at a. shilling a time. The deserted boxes strewn all over the lawn proved a source of danger as the dense crowd wended its way out on the conclusion of the match. Several had fails over them. The nastiest cut of all, though, was the fact that the pioneer of the “ boxhiring ” scheme was about the first to come to grief over one. Many enthusiasts declare that they intend to “ take their boxes with them ” in the future.