SPEEDWAY MATTERS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 152, 24 December 1929, Page 10

SPEEDWAY MATTERS

COMPLAINT AND A REPLY Camplaint is made by a correspondent ("Playfair"), who claims to be a regular supporter of the Speedway, that tickets are sold when no seats are available, and that latecomers are allowed to stand at the fence and block the view of those who, by being, early, are entitled .to see what is going on. "The back fence is also lined with these latecomers," states the correspondent, "and their dangling feet are wiped on my own ,and my wife's clothes. The cost of engaging a few ushers would not be great, and their services would be'a great advantage. Apparently the only thing the management have in view is the gate money, and the matter o£ giving the public a fair run for their money is a secondary consideration." The^correspondent also refers to the encouragement of the riders. Ho considers that the maintenance allowed for machines is paltry, and that the management shoulfi give more encouragement to riders, and so make the meetings more entertaining for the patrons. The prize money, the correspondent states, has dropped considerably since -the first meeting,. and the,result is that quite a number of good riders are missing. Eegarding the use of B grade riders as substitutes, the correspondent asks: "Is that playing the game with that class?" The complaints made by the correspondent were brought under the notice of the chairman of "Wellington Speedways (Mr. T. Coltman), who stated that arrangements were being made to employ extra ushers for future meetings. ' "Speedways have spared neither time nor expense in making adequate provision for its many keen patrons," he said, "and if 'Playfair' has suffered any inconvenience, I trust it will not be sufficient to cause him to lessen his enthusiasm. Speedways are doing their utmost to meet the needs of the public, and so far as talent'is concerned the statement that good riders are missing is not only incorrect but ludicrous, as future programmes will prove. Through the enterprise of those responsible for the establishment of this branch of sport in Wellington, it is hoped to give the public an opportunity of seeing the best speedway riders the world can produce. With reference to prize money, it is evident that the correspondent does not know the true position; the prize money has not decreased, but has increased."