"DISGRACEFUL JOSTLING"

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13888, 14 October 1918, Page 2

"DISGRACEFUL JOSTLING"

THE THEATRE ROYAL INCIDENT. Or Snell, at Friday's meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council, referred to the crush at the Theatre Royal on Thursday evening. He said he had attended the entertainment, and considered the jostling at the ticket office was simply disgraceful. The Theatre Royal was opened to the public under license, and the Council should see that there was no repetition of the scenes of Thursday light. The accommodation at the ticket office was quite inadequate. An iron pipe was fixed about two feet from the wall. It people kept within the space it would not be so bad, but they did not. Children who got into the erowd were almost smothered. More ticket offices were required. Such a thing must be put a stop to.

Cr Howden thought the trouble arose through the fact that the doors were not opened until the crowd had arrived. It was not the fault of the Theatre Royal Company. Cr. Snell said the company should not allow it. They should point out to the peonle who engage, the hall tlie necessity for making suitable arrangements to govern the crowd.

Cr. Howden promised to bring the matter before the company. The Mayor said that much of the trouble was caused through the fact that an amateur staff was in charge. The matter then dropped.