NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1925, Page 4

NEWS BY MAIL.

THEATRE WITHOUT BOXES. LOXDOX, March 5.

Xo private boxes have been biult in the Xew Empire Theatre, Liverpool, to be opened shortly with a revue, “Better Hays ” because private boxes no

longer pay. “ That reason seems to be pretty generally true where provincial theatres at any rate are concerned, an official of the Moss Empire paid yesterday; and Mr Herbert Smith, managing director of Messrs Keith Browse, the ticket agents, agreed with this view.

“Up to a point, it is also true in London theatres,” Mr Smith said. “ There is still a fair demand for private boxes at musical shows, but during the last three or four years boxes have certainly declined in popularity.

“ Lack of money, the more democratic spirit of the times, and the fact that boxes give only it sideways view

to the stage seems to bo reasons for the decline of the private box.”

OUR SPORTS ECLIPSE. LOXDOX. March •">

The "Xational Review” for .March contains the following in its notes, which, as is well known, are written bv Mr L. J. Alaxse, its editor: —-

Ooll'ers indignantly repudiate the suggestion that the eclipse of England in many international sports and pastimes is in any way ascribable to the rise and spread of their favourite hobbv.

But they have some awkward facts to explain away, in the first place the date of our relative decline in international competition coincides with the time when the British Press went golf mail and began treating “ putting” as a main duly of man, and made popular heroes ul leading golfing professionals.

Indeed, we have never been quite the same country since at more active and athletic games, the chiel hope ol our recovery would appear to lie in our competitors catching the same infection as wo are glad to hear is the ease with the Americans, who do nothing by halves, and who are said to have latterly “gone dotty” on golf, with every prospect of ultimately .spoiling their lawn tenuis.

A second suggestive fact is that the only two nations who nowadays can

put up a serious fight for the Davis Cup against the United Stales are Australia and Krauce, in hot.li ol which we believe the younger generation concentrate on running games and eschew the great walking garni'. As a result, whereas since the war which was at one time regarded as a comprehensive explanation—England has produced very few lirst-rate tennis players, both France and Australia possess brilliant and even wonderful postwar players, ouv second to the American holders. Indeed, it is doubtful if the Australians are second, could they arrange to put. their best team in the field, vy:., Mr .1. (). Anderson, Air CL L. Patterson, Afr O’Hara AYood, and Mr .). I!. Ilawkes, as there is some prospect of their lining this year. We should be amazed w> learn that any of these great players consecrate their weekends to “ pulling.”

0A BV DESLYS. BUDAPEST, .March 7

The father and two sisters ol Mile. Cuhv Deslys, the actress, who.died five years ago. are taking steps to press their claim to large share ol her estate, acording to the Hungarian lews of in-

(hiby Ih'ScVs v.es born in .Moravia ■.Then part ol Austria) in ISSI. Her real name was lledwig Nawretil. She was brought up in Hungary near Budapest, and afterwards becam" a seamstress in Vienna, then a dancer in small i aba i els.

She was later adopted hy a Mine. Caire. ai Marseilles, and became a naturalised Frenchwoman. Fxeept a legacy to her dancing partner. Mr Harry Piker, she left all her wealth to the city of Marseilles, which is disputing the relatives’ claim. At first the French authorities would not believe that i lie Nawratil family had anything to do with her, hut there is now mi doubt that Caby Deslys was I ledu ig Nawratil. At the time of her death it was reported in Paris that (laky Deslys left ahum L' 100.0110.

OKI!MAX i’AI I.WA YMK.V. UK I? MX, Kohrun ry A. Tlic lumhined organisations ol' <• i■ r!i ia ii railwayman have i n I'oriiH'il ilia directors of German railways lliaL lho present agrci incut fur imp's and hours ol' work shall not he binding alter the end ol' the month. The railwavinen are at present workill a nine hours a day and their wages are not yet up to pre-war' level. although the cost of living is now higher than in Fugland. " Wo are going to demand an eighthours tiny,” llerr I ienimele, an o.Tirial, said to me this nioruing, ‘mind higher wages all round.’’

At present many men are so badly paiil that their wires and families are not properly nourished and are living chiefly on potatoes.

A shunter, if he has attained the age of ‘2l gets, from 2ls to 27s a week. If he is married and lias children lie gets a little more. .Men with a wife and two children receive, for instance. Is 10.U1 a week extra. Ticket-oflice men and women clerks in goods offices roioivc less—from £1 to 2iss a week. This is also the rate paid to palters, and they cannot depend on tips.

There is a fixed price for handling each piece of baggage, and the nmouuf taken in this way is deducted from the porter’s wages. If lie takes more than the wage-limit, however, h? can keep the extra sum.

Wage's of permanent officials vary according to age and occupation. The lowest is C:i Ids (id a month, and an engine-driver can earn from Ci Os tid a month to Cl 1 -‘is. in addition he has a monthly allowance of 12s if he has a wile, and a sum for each chi hi. and an allowance of Ids Cd to t;l 1. •: 'M lor house rent according to locality. A man of 40, with a wife and two children, may earn altogether £ls 18s Gd a mouth.

Income tax of 10 per cent, is charged on all wages exceeding £l2 7s a year. It need hardly he said that these Hermans envy Rritish railway men.

LAST OF SQUEERS’ PUPif «. LONDON, February 7. A link with Charles Dickens has been broken by the death at Parkavenue. Rush Hill. Knfield, at the age of 00. of Air Kdinmid Plummer, who was the last survivor of the hoys who were under “ Mr Mp'.eor* at Oothaoys Hall. Mr Plummet’ letuiiied vivid recollections of the time he spent at the sein.ol. which was situated at lh>wes. Yorkshire. He was eight when he first

went there. The journey from the Saracen’s Head, on Snow Hill, E.C., where Mr Shaw, the master and the original of “ Squeers ” collected the boys, occupied three days and three nights, and the boys slept at. coaching houses on the wav.

Shaw combined farming with his scholastic duties, and when the boys bad done work for him he used to hire them out to neighbouring farmers.