CORRESPONDENCE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2158, 30 November 1885, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

THE KURUPUNI HALL.To the Editor. Sir.—The local which appears in your paper of. yesterday, re improvements to Kurupuiii Hall, implies that I am canvassing contributions 'for the whole of the-intended improvements. It is not so. AH 1 have to do with is the painting the outside, and repairing the windows. Yours, etc,. T. W, Shuts. THE RECENT SHOW, v To the Editor. Sir,-Referring to your report on the Masterton Show of yesterday, in which you speak in complimentary terms of two Lincoln rams exhibited by me—if your remarks apply to section 12—one of which, " Little Champion," carried off ,Mr Pearce's prize for the best' Lincoln ram in the yards, you will allow me to correct you by statins; that these rams were bred by Mr John Reid, of Oamaru, and are the sheep being used by Mr Chalmers and myself in our stud flocks on the Upper Plain. "Little Champion" had previously taken two prizes at Oamaru,

Yours, etc., Edwin . Meredith. Mr Meredith himself gave us the infor mation that the .'sheep' wore bred al Riversdale, probably under the impression that we wero at the'time referring to his hogget tw,-Ed, W.D, -

THE LEASE OF THE THEATRE. To the Editor. Sir, 1 should not have taken any notice of the two and a half columns'of mistatements published by your contemporary, on my behalf in his issue of Saturday, did I not think it'a monstrous tiling that a humble individual like myself cannot do Ins best to earn a livelihood for himself aud family without being constantly abused und misrepresented by the proprietors of the " Star," simply becauao he does not choose to

advertise with them. 'To show the utterly unwarrantable ahd discreditable nature of the-last attack, [ will, with your permission,.give a brief account of the real facts of the oaae. Messrs Foley and Berkley having failed to carry out their lease of the Theatre, the onus fell upon Mr Thompson (their surety), who, not wishing to be troubled with it, asked ma if I would tako it off his hands. I having always dono the public catering previous to the advent of Messrs Foley & Berkley, I agreed, provided I could »et an extension of the lease, aa it would not be worth my while taking it for four months. I made an application'for an extension of the lease, offering the same

lent that Messrs Foley and Berkley were paying for the Theatre and dwelling house, and an additional thirty-two pounds for the two shops (which have been closed for some considerable time past, bringing in nothing, and . not as stated by your contemporary, bringing in two pounds a week). This' offer was accepted by every one of the Directors present, with the exception of Mr Smith, of the " Star," who had, however, intimated to another Director previous co the meeting that "if Coker liked to 'bury

the hatchet' (or, in other words, consent to advertise in his paper), he (Mr Smith wovM not oppose the application.", I distinctly refused to assent to the proposal, hence the two and a-half-columns devoted to me. I will now aßk any of your leaders after that, what tliey think of the virtuous indignation displayed by the immaculate "Star" .proprietors at the Directors having the ajidaoity to let the Theatre to me at a rental of thirty-two pounds a year move than they are at present receiving. The assertion that travelling companies can be ' bled' with impunity by the lessee of the Theatre" is on a par with the other statement " that sixty pounds had been extorted from a company in one week." Both are utterly untrue, and the writer knew them to be. so when he penned them. The Masterton public have, however, had sufficient experience of the writer to know that he does not stick at trifles; There is a fixed scale of charges for the rent of the Theatre to oompanies who engage it right out; but most-travelling oompanies prefer, and do as a rule, play on terms with the lessee, as it takes a considerable amount of trouble andexpense off their shoulders, and saves theni being " bled 1 ! for useless advertising in third-rate newspapers. I submit that the torms of any arrangement thus made have nothing to. r do lyith anybody but the partieg concerned, I must apologise for taking up so much of your ■valuable space, but it was necessary to make the explanation in justice to'ixiyaelf and the Directors of tlio Theatre Royal Company, . •' •

lam, &c., Geokge Cokeiv, ' I will publjsih in- aday orfcwo a scale of charges for the. Theatre, bo that travelling companies and others*- can see to what extent theycan.be "bled,"