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MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

(From odb ovtk Oovkbsvoxdkvi.) The London Gaiety Company at the Princess' is winning laurels and gaining fall houses evening after evening. Each night dress circle and stalls are filled with people who have taken seats ia advance, whilst the unreserved portions of the house are only to be gained after a hard struggle at the diors. And so, of course, th.3 great Australian triumvirate are doing well. But their expenditure must be i simply enormous. I have no idea what they pay the Gaiety Co., but I know what they pay for the theatre. They have the i land on a 30 years' building lease, at £2000 & year. The Pfiooeaa' cost them £46,000 to put up, which means another £2COO interest to pay, taking It for granted the money was advanced. Then at the end of the 30 years they will have to pay off this £46,000, and so they put by eaoH year a sinking fund to meet it— s*y £1000. All this means, therefore, £5000 a year for the building alone, before they come to the expenses of management, What this oomes to I dare not go Into, the figures are so big, but the foregoing little sketch may give my readers some idea of the cost of cunning a theatre.

Apropos of matters tbeatrloal, lam informed that there Is no troth In the rumor that Mr Charles Warner li going to join Williamson and Garner vice Muigrove resigned. There is some truth though m the aaaertaln that his charming daughter Grade is engaged to some young Melbourneite who has been lucky enough to win her heart. I hear her father doei not approve of the matoh and does not want his daughter to marry at all jast yet anticipating a suooessful oareer for her on the stage. In whloh, I take it, he is right, for she is a charming aud olever young lady. Another, pleasant item ol theatrical gosoip la that our old friend Frank Thornton, of " Private Secretary '* fame, ia ooming out with a now comedydrama, " Sweet Lavender," In which

there is a oomio part that salts him to a T. As a true and loyal pressman, I, of oours 1 , made-one insignificant item m tha large concourse that assembled on Tuesday to witness the opening of Parliament, and I must confeaa that I was Bomewhat disappointed at the dreariness and tiresomeness of the function. The day waa bitterly oold and everybody seemed but of temper. The crowd was so large and intrusive that the ushers and attendants quite lost their temper, and I personally was hustled and pushed about so, that I felt what Mr Elton calls an "interlb'lb'per." His Excellenoy (and bless him tor it) arrived punctually with hie guard of honor, looking not quite np to the mark, to my mind, but determined to get through the business without much loss of litre. Strange to say, he drove up to the House m an ordinary closed brougham, which is not quite etiquette, the proper thing being the state coach with gold and glass, footmen behinh m powder and kneebreeches aud— calves, Lady Loch,' too, came dressed m solemn black, and although she looked very nice and ladylike, the costume did . not strike me as being the most euitable for a function like the openiug of Parliament. But Indeed the ladles' gallery, which

was filed to overflowing, did not at all look

bright or striking, Victoria's daughter!, who I think 1 may truely say, are noted for their taste and driplay In dres?, did not come out strongly on Tuesday. Of oouraa the weather wan against them, for it was doll and cold, with a promise of rain ; and furs and heavy wraps were the general thing. ladaed, the only one trho made anything of a show m tha way of dress was the newly eleoted Spa&kar of the Lower House, who came resplendent ia new robes reooived the day before from London, and copied exaotly from the onea worn by his prototype at Westminister, There was some amusement caused by the action of an old lady m • glgantlo poke bonnet, who coolly appropriated one of the Press seats In the gallery. " Punoh " has been m the habit ef satlr's'ng the "Age," representing her las an old woman In a poke bonnet and calling her Ananias, and the appearanoe of the ancient dame m the Press gallery so reminded people of this, that a whisper ran all round, and waa received with suppressed laughter, even, by YioaRoyalty Itself. The prospeotns of a company la being advertised m the papers which In iti way la little lobb scandalous than the famous " Land Distribution Company," to whioh I reverted some three weeks ago Id the course of this hebdomiaai correspondence. The company is to be called the " Australasia Exchange Company," and is being founded for the purpose of establishing another Exchange. We have three already, but as this was not enough, this fourth one is projeoted. So Far nothing has been done except to issue a prospeotus -and sketch out the business proposed, and for this, together with the expense of floatation whioh they bear, the promoters propose to recoup themselves m a way that will give them £0,000 shares worth 30a, for whioh they have paid 10a. In a word, not to mlnoe matters, they want £60.000 worth of shares for promoting the company. Now In ordinary common decency is not this preposterous and I aßk, should not the Government have some power to put a stop to inch modes of taking m tho publio 1 For I dire say, people will subscribe. They are suoh fools with their money just at present, they would go m for anything. Bat just fancy £50,000 worth qf shares for pro; motion. It is really Boandaloua, and j troet elnoerely- the greedy promoters will have had all the expense of advertising for nothing. Mneloal Melbourne is quite m a ferment with the arrival of Mr Frederick Oowen, which took place three days ago, and he haß had a publio reoeptloo by some of our leading musicians. I amongst others was introduced to h|m and found him a pleasant spoken man, 'cultured-looking and handsome. He Is of coarse a .few as is generally known,, and possesses the type of the high-caste Jewish face, whioß is handsome and commanding. IJe Is rather short and thin, qalok and aotlyela hia movements, and a gentleman all over. Hia younger brother Lionel has oome oat with him. This gentleman Is a painter, and I believe, an A.B A. He Is like his brother, but wears his hair In long dark , curls, and so looks somewhat ploturesque. He has oome out with a commission from » oonple of London papers to " do " Melbourne and the colonies—that is, to Illustrate them,

Every now and again an anything but pleasant reminder crops np of the lat« silver boom and the consequent frantic rush after shares. The latest exoltement over & wretched fiasco Is m connection With the fieltana Silver Mining Qo, w.hqg^ shares ara norr valueless, noboiiy peing fool enough to buy, I remember 'well enough the floating of the minej and the great promises made and the marvellous returns anticipated by 1 tr.uafiiu'fj share* holders. A wonderfully riph lode 'pi reported In the prospectus as rnnnlfog throqgh fcf^p property, whilst th^ee thou; sand toua of ore were said tp bgfa sight, Sharon went rapidly qp to £6, and noif alas ! both lode ana ore are found want, ing." Fanoy the dismay of men who gave £6 a share finding their scrip worth nothing more than the papee it is printed on. Aud fanoy too tho distended pockets of those who fliated oft' this worthless mina. for so many thousand*. It is really terrible to think of, the amount of money drained into the pockets of a horda of syndic »te grabbers and oompany-moogera from the foolish and lax hold of the confiding public. It Is only too true, th»t we In Australia have many a lesson to learn, and one of tho most vital is to keep the, none/ we earn 40 hwd4»,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18880709.2.17

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1888, 9 July 1888, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,360

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1888, 9 July 1888, Page 2

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1888, 9 July 1888, Page 2

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