SEEN IN SYDNEY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 892, 11 August 1910, Page 6

SEEN IN SYDNEY.

■* —-- NOTIONS IN GAIETY. . NEW RINK FOR WELLINGTON. Mr. Alfred Linley, of West's and the Royal Pictures Proprietary, returned from a lengthy visit to tho Commonwealth yesterday. He was just as impressed with the industrial activity and prosperity in Sydney and Melbourne as several other recent visitors to Australia.' There 'seemed to be plenty of work for skilled mechanics in both centres, and in Sydney particularly the. building trade ' was very active. He noted, too, with pleasure, the .disappearance of the slums in Sydney where tlio reforming pro.cess has made what is practically a clean, safe inly. The suburban railway services were wonderfully organiseil. 'riie Syduev statiou, erected whilst Mr. E. W. Suliivim was Minister of Works, is a magnificent structure,, built on an impressive scale with a view to -the future growth of what is already a very large city. I , "I made a special study of the various -skating rinks, when in Sydney," continued Mr. Linley. "The Glaciarium is a tremendous building in George Street West, and has as its attraction real ice skating. Tho same refrigerating plant .which freezes the water is used for tho big cool stores beneath the level of the ground. The Hour is composed of seven miles'of. piping, which (s hosed with water when a skating surface is needed. There are, on. tho premises, 1200 pairs of privately-owned skates, 750 pairs of which are ladies', and another 1000 pairs are hired out by tho management. I witnessed there a hockey match on ice between Melbourne and Sydney, and was surprised at the attractiveness of the game. I also visited several rollerskating riuKs, and with the information, now in my possession I am satisfied that 1 will be able to erect a rink in A\ ellmgton which will eclipse any on the other side. In my opinion roller-skating is the most suitable form of the recreation for Mew Zoaland. ' ■ i "The Sydney public are pleasure-lov-ing people. At least 50,000 people aro present at the theatres and picture shows on a ' Saturday. evening. Tho pictiiro shows attract great houses, and are patronised by about 40,000 on a Saturday night. This sounds very big, but when one remembers that there are SO picturo shows in and'around Sydney it can easily be- seen how this is possible. Tho suburban pictures arc, as a rule, inferior to those shown' in'the city, and those pictures which.they secure that are.facsimiles of those shown at the King's Theatre are not' shown in tho Sydney suburbs until six weeks after thoy have been exhibited here.' "They are doing a good-deal of streetwidening in .Sydney. The widening of Macquarie and Oxford Streets has effected a wonder"'ul improvement.. One of the biggest building operations now in progress is the alteration of Farmer's Building on the comer of Pitt and Market Streets. By tho way, I have secured a film showing' tho work in progress. I have also made arrangements whereby a series of pictures entitled 'Sydney Day by Day" will be shown' at the lung's Theatre under tho generic title of 'A Wesfs Journal of Topical Events,' so. that everything of importance which lends itself to kiuematography—events that are cabled here—will be seen tho following week at the King's. What I have learned through careful observation should be of benefit to the theatre-going public of Wellington." ' ■ . ■■- Mr. Linley had also the pleasure of seeing over the new Huddart-Parker steamer .Zealandia, -which he considers to lie the last word In passenger steamers in these waters,. She is fitted with wireless telegraphy, and through the courtesy of the operator he received a message from an Orient steamer in the harbour.