A New Zealander In Sydney Town

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 775, 23 September 1929, Page 11

A New Zealander In Sydney Town

SYDNEY. September 17. After the preliminary shock, Sydney has taken quite calmly Mr. Bruce's decision to go to the country on the Federal arbitration issue. So far the election has caused little excitement, in fact, little interest. The general opiniou appears to be that if Labour cannot win this election It will be many years before such an opportun ity will present itself again. A Divided House The Nationalists are a divided household. It is certain that Mr. Hughes : will be opposed by a true-blue Nationj alist in Dr. L. W. Nott. for North Sydney, and that Mr. Marks, the champion of the film industry, whose vote ; decided the fate of ihe Government, will meet with similar opposition at Wentworth, another city seat The i chances are. however, that both will be returned with a comfortable margin. The Speaker, Sir Lyttelton Groom, who stayed in his room and let the Ministry fall. will likewise, have a Nationalist opposed tiv hint., Interest in the election should in- : crease by the end of next week, when the Prime Minister is due here to j speak. Screen Propaganda The election campaign has at least established the importance of the screen for propaganda purposes. Since the Government’s announcement of its taxation proposals concerning the cinema industry—some one said the other day that no such thing existed in Australia—lt has been subjected to such a barrage of screen propaganda from one end of the Commonwealth to the other, as has never before been known in this country. Powerful film Interests have been a contributing factor in the Ministry's downfall. The Prime Minister, in a bitter rejoinder, accused his attackers of cheap American tactics. Sensational and theatrical propaganda, according to Mr. Bruce, has defeated its own ends. One thing is certain, j however, that no Government can ! afford in the future to under-estimate i the effect of this method of attack, whether it is in the public interest or not. New Zealand, so far, has not experienced it. But there was every possibility last election that it might have played its park If the Dominion Government had not given way in response to Sir Victor Wilson’s appeal every screen in the country’ would have put the case for the exhibitor. Where Men are Wild Alfred Frith's opening lines in “The Five O'clock Girl,” now drawing to a close at Her Majesty’s, are by no means inappropriate when one recalls the comedian’s long absence from Australia, “Where have you been?” he Is i asked. “Out in the wide, open spaces,” replies Frith, “where men are men and women are glad of it!” “The Five O’clock Girl.” which is saved from absolute mediocrity by Frith, Gus Bluett and Cecil Kelleway. with a little assistance from Tui Black, the promising young comedienne, is soon to make way for “Hold Everything.” 1 notice that so far Helen Patterson, lead in the present offering, and William Valentine, who plays opposite her, have not lyeen announced as appearing in the new show. J.C.W. have been rather unfortunate of late with their leading ladies, especially Americans. Somehow Australians, I fear, prefer the old favourites. On the other hand, Leo Carillo has scored a pronounced success in “Lombardi, Ltd.,” his own special little comedy at the Criterion. It looks like a long and distinctly profitable run. Leon Gordon, playing “It Pays to Advertise,” at the Royal, has met with fair support. The war with the talkies Is still on. All the really first-class productions have had excellent patronage. The same applies to the legitimate stage. After a taste of what is best in talkies, the public demands that the same standard be maintained in the theatre. What is more, they are likely to get it. There is nothing to prevent it. Stephanie Deste Meets Amanullah Stephanie Deste, exotic dancer of “Rose Marie,” struck up a friendship with the tearful Amanullah. ex-King of Afghanistan, and his wife, when returning to Europe on the Mooltan. Stephanie, who is of Belgian-Hebraic extraction, made herself useful as an interpreter after the royalties joined the liner at Bombay, with the result that she received an invitation to stay with the exiled Royalties once they made a home. According to the dancer this was to be at Constantinople, but we have since learned that Amanullah and Souriya are now established in Italy. American Writing Market New Zealander Dulcie Deamer. addressing the Society of Women Writers the other day, declared that life was pleasant for a writer in the United States, where from £SO to £IOO could be obtained for a short, story. If her novel, first published in the old “Lone Hand,” had been launched in America, she said, her future success would have been assured. Dulcie Deamer hails from Featlierston, in the Wairarapa. where her father practised medicine for many years. Success came her way as a young woman, and she has still a definite place in the writing life of Australia. Ultima Thule There is much adverse comment in Sydney among the writing fraternity, incidentally, about that remarkable book, "Ultima Thule.” the last volume of Henry Handel Richardson’s trilogy. Chief criticism against the work is on the score of its melancholy. As the novel is in some respects a medical | treatise on the mental failure, ex ■ tending over many years, of a medical ; man who was quite unfitted for Australian conditions, it could hardly be ; otherwise. That, however, is an in--1 sufficient ground to condemn one of ' the greatest Australian books yet ; written. To the average non-Austra- ' lian. the Australian countryside has j precisely the same effect as it had j upon Richard Mahoney. It is melan- ! choly. Though at times it is inexpressibly beautiful, ofte is never free ] of the melancholy gum landscape . . . : T read “Ultima Thule” on the recomj mendation of Nettie Palmer, the . Queensland writer, no mean judge. J who unhesitatingly declared it to be ; a masterpiece. I would advise you if you are really interested In Aus- | tralia—and no New Zealander, despite j his satisfaction with his own beauti- | ful land, can afford to be otherwise than interested in his most important neighbour —to go and do likewise, j For over 20 years Henry Handel I Richardson straggled for recognition. ! At last it has come to her. ERIC RAMSDEN.