A New Zealander In Sydney Town

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 903, 21 February 1930, Page 13

A New Zealander In Sydney Town

THE SUN'S Sydney Correspondent SYDNEY, February 14. Mr. Lang Changes His Mind Although there was no spectacular opening of Parliament this week, Parliamentarians realise that they must now settle down to serious work. The Parliament has now entered into the last year of its life. An election will take place toward the end of the year, probably in November. Thanks to Mr. Lang, Leader of the State Labour

Party, who graciously changed his mind and permitted the Premier, Mr. Bavin, and the Treasurer, Mr. Stevens, to be paired when they went to Canberra to discuss the financial situation, there was no necessity to adjourn the House. Otherwise the Government proposed adopting this unusual expedient. Shoals ahead include the Transport Bill, a measure that will be strenuously opposed by existing bus interests. Effect of Contorting Act

A visitor coming back to Sydney these days—or rather nights—might well inquire what has happened to its night life. As far as the city proper exists, it is no longer in evidence. The Bavin Government’s Consorting Act, however, will hardly be relished by the other States, particularly Victoria. Melbourne is already complaining of an exodus of undesirables from Sydney. The position now is that two suspected persons seen together in the street can be arrested and sent to prison. Consequently, that phase of night life has been entirely eliminated as far as Sydney streets are concerned. The result, of course, has been that regular street habitues have been forced to other parts of the city. Sydney’s Underworld 1 Queens The underworld of Sydney is said to be controlled by two women. Many of the shootings or stabbings that New Zealanders read of are, according to the police, the work of followers of either one or the other. One is young and passably good looking, and the other is old, sin-hardened and anything but attractive. Both employ the most skilful and most expensive of counsel. Y'et until the Consorting Act came into force the police were more or less powerless against them. I have seen the older woman, arrive at the Central Criminal Court in her own limousine, her object being to bail out some youthful offenders, for whom she acts as banker. Money is no particular object to her. The other, an English girl and a former ammunition worker, has announced her intention of leaving the country. On that understanding, a sentence for consorting was suspended this week. Curiously enough, this woman, the wife of a notorious gangster, is an expert needlewoman. Sewing and accumulating diamonds for her pudgy little fingers are among her hobbies, Muriel Starr Bankrupt

Following her unsuccessful season at the Palace, Muriel Starr has been forced, to appeal to the Bankruptcy Court. Liabilities total £3,000, and assets only £SO. Time was when Muriel Starr was one of the highest paid performers in Australia. She has made the mistake of so many others —she has lingered just a little too long in this country. Still a compartively young woman, though by no means as youthful as she looks, there may have been a chance for her in her own United States a few years ago. An eleventh-hour decision is to leave for Hollywood to try her luck in the talkies. Gladys Moncrieff Rejoins J.C.W. The other theatrical sensation of the week is the return of Gladys Moncrieff to the J.C.W. management after several years with the Fuller brothers. There is talk of a revival of her popular successes, including “The Maid of the Mountains,” “The Merry Widow” and "Katinka.” Williamsons are also seriously considering reviving “The Belle of New York” and the lighter operas that our parents delighted iu. May Beatty was probably the most popular “Belle” that New Zealand knew. After playing the role with the Pollards’ in New Zealand, she also appeared under Mr. Williamson’s management in Australia in the early part of the century. Composing “Waiata Poi’’ Few Aucklanders know that Mr. Alfred Hill’s “Waiata Poi” was composed in their city. Many years ago when Mr. Charles Goldie was engaged upon that series of Maori portraits, which is the delight of every overseas visitor to the Auckland Gallery, Mr. Hill used to listen with interest to the snatches of song from Maori sitters who crowded the painter’s studio. Mr. Hill told me the other day that when Mr. Goldie had stopped his work, owing to failing light, he would then talk music with the Maoris and endeavour to interest them in their ancient songs. In that manner the composer obtained tbe motif which he later expressed in “Waiata Poi.” The importance, of Mr. Hill’s work at the State Conservatorium will be realised by the fact that four musicians had to be engaged to carry, on his duties when he applied for leave to go to New Zealand. Phil May and Tawhiao

After reading Dorothy Hopkins’s life of her father, “Hop,” the famous cartoonist of the “Bulletin,” whom I had the good fortune to meet on more than one occasion before his death, I determined to explore the collection of cartoons in the National Gallery. It was well worth while. I do not know whether any effort is being made in New Zealand to collect the work of contemporary caricaturists. If this has not been done, it is certainly not too late. I was interested to find that several well-known New Zealand identities had been preserved for posterity by the merciless pencil of Phil May'. There is, for instance, Tawhiao, the second Waikato King, an extremely good likeness. Every New Zealander must, of course, be familiar with the features of the chieftain, because they have been reproduced thousands of times on our bank notes. New Zealand Politicians Caricatured Sir Julius Vogel, in much the same manner as Sir Joseph Ward hoped to do prior to the last election, was seen careering through the country, showering sovereigns from a capacious bag of borrowed money'. After looking through the collection, however, I felt ! really sorry for the caricaturists of | today'. Ido not recall one single j Australian or New Zealand politician with the features of Sir Henry Parkes, the curie of Sir John Robert-

son, x>r the eye-glass of Sir George Reid, all of which provided such excellent material for the pencils of May and his friend, Livingstone Hopkins. Anyone interested in the early artistic and journalistic life of Sydney should read “Hop’s” life by his daughter. A wealth of anecdote is to be found there. Henry Lawson’s Memorial George W. Lambert, A.R.A., is busily engaged these days on the Henry Lawson memorial. The artist works in a studio in the grounds of the Mili- ; tary Hospital at Randwick, where so much of his war work has been de- | signed. The gigantic figure of the poet is now almost completed, and Mr. Lambert hopes to send it to London for casting before long. The statue of Lawson, his sundowner, and, of course, the sundowner’s dog, will eventually stand in the Sydney Domain, near the A*rt Gallery. Cartoonist for England F. H. Cumberworth, the Christ--1 church-born cartoonist for “The Evening News,” will shortly leave for England. There he will follow the fortunes of the Australian cricket XI with his pencil. Cumberworth at one time worked in Auckland. ERIC RAJttSD§K*