The small amount of gate money obtainable at swimming meetings held in enclosed baths has been a great drawback to clubs holding open races or engaging in water-polo matches. The continued drain upon club funds leads to a state of in solvency, and many organisations have for that reason been compelled to abstain from holding open competitions. In order to carry out a large meeting successfully, endeavours should be made to obtain donations to the prize fund. For many regattas a systematic plan of obtaining subscriptions from the tradesmen of the town is adopted, but very often a club can obtain substantial aid in this matter by appealing to its own honorary members. The ladies' prize is a very suc cessful institution. The sister or wife of a member takes charge of the fund, and collects subscriptions from the lady friends of the members.
The prizes should all be bought before the meeting, and the full advertised value given for them. If possible, they should be exhibited in some prominent part of the town.
Tickets of admission should be on sale some time pre viously. A week before the meeting a ticket of admission should be sent to the principal papers, and a day or two before some particulars as to the entries and general arrangements. These should be written out in form ready for publication, as they are more likely to be inserted than if they require editing.
They should not be too long—in fact, the briefer they are the better.
A ticket of admission should also be sent to every com• petitor and official. On each ticket full and precise directions as to venue, time of meeting, and date, should be stated, and, if possible, the nearest station or conveyance.
Some music is desirable. Either a string band or a piano and pianist will do. A brass band inside a covered bath is a perfect nuisance.
We now come to the arrangements for the day of the meeting, the preparation of programmes, and the supervision of the attendants. The entry forms should have been sent to the handicapper immediately the entries closed, with a list giving name, club, and colours of each entrant affixed to them. They should have been received at least three days before the meeting, and the work of preparing the programme then begins. Every possible information should be afforded by the programme. If the handicap be framed from a nominal scratch man—that is to say, a better man than any of the com petitors entered—that man's name should appear at the head of the handicap, so that the spectators may not be misled.
The following specimens are from programmes of meetings held under the auspices of the Amateur Swimming Associa tion :—