THE BURNS-JOHNSON PICTURES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 453, 24 April 1909, Page 2

THE BURNS-JOHNSON PICTURES.

The electric bio graph pictures of the contest for the heavyweight championship of the world are to be shown in the Public Hall on Friday evening, April 30. The contest was arranged by Hugh D. Mclntosh of Sydney, to take place in the Stadium, Rushcutter’s Bay, Sydney, on December 26 last, and on that historic spot, associated with Australia’s early history, Tommy Burns and Jack Johnson met. On all sides and in all lands it was admitted to be the greatest contest in pugilistic history. Although being fought in Sydney, ten thousand miles from the. great centres of the world’s population,. no previous contest ever attracted so much attention the world over. From England and America leading sportsmen came, and the Stadium on Boxing Day held the greatest concourse of people the world had ever known to gather round a ring. ,£26,000 was paid for admission, and the purse £7,500, was the greatest ever fought for. The excitement everywhere was intense, particularly among the 50,000 odd persons who could not gain admission to the Stadium. As for the moving pictures of the contest, Mr Mclntosh had made most complete arrangements. His motto is. “Magnificence cannot be cheap ; for what is cheap is not magnificent.” He imported from the best French makers 30,000 feet of negative film, and ten times that amount of positive film, in addition to two splendid new cameras. All the available biograph cameras in Sydney were hired, and on a glorious day Mr C. Spencer, Australia’s leading biograph specialist, placed six cameras in the most advantageous positions at the ringside. Two cameras were always going, and - thus no incident, however, trivial, missed being recorded. The best record of the cameras was retained for the purposes of exhibition, and by all accounts Mr Spencer has done his work well, as on all sides the pictures have been described as the most magnificent pictures of a boxing contest ever exhibited. The exhibition will start at 8.15 p.m., owing to the late arrival of the company.