MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 167, 10 July 1888, Page 3

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

[from our own correspondent. ] . HOW THE MONEY GOES. The London Gaiety Company at the Princess’s is winning laurels and gaining full houses evening after evening. Each night dress circle and stalls are filled with people who have taken seats in advance, whilst the unreserved portions of the house are only to be gained after a hard struggle at the doors. And so, of course, the great Australian triumvirate are doing well. But their expenditure must be simply enormous. I have no idea what they pay the Gaiety Co., but I know what they pay for the theatie. They have the land on a 30 years’ building lease, at £2OOO a year. The Princess’s cost them £46,000 to put up, which means another £2OOO interest to pay, taking it for granted the money was advanced. Then at the end of the 30 years they will have to pay off this £46,000, and so they put by each year a sinking fund to meet it—say £lOOO a year. All this means, therefore. £5OOO a year for the building alone before they come to the expenses of management. What this comes to I dare not go into, the figures are so big, but the foregoing little sketch may give my readers some idea of the cost of running a theatre. ANOTHER COMPANY SWINDLE. The prospectus of a company is being advertised in the j apers which in its way is little less scandalous than the famous “Land Distribution Company,” to which I reverted some three weeks ago in the course of this hebdominal correspondence. The company is to be called the “ Australasia Exchange Company,” and is being founded for the purpose of establishing another Exchange. We have three already, but as this was not enough, this fourth one is projected. So far nothing has been done except to issue a prospectus and sketch out the business proposed, and for this, together with the expense of flotation which they bear, the promoters propose to recoup themselves in a way that will give them 50,000 shares worth 30s. for which they have paid 10s. In a word not to rriinco matters, they want £5O; 000 worth of shares for promoting the company. Now in ordinary common decency is not this prep sterous? and I ask, should not the Government have some power to put a stop to such modes of taking in the public ? For I dare say, people will subscribe. They are such fools with their money just at present, they would go in for anything. But just fancy £50,000 worth of shares for promotion. It is really, scandalous, and I trust sincerely the greedy promoters will have had all the expense of advertising for nothing.

MUSICAL MELBOURNE.

Musical Melbourne is quite in a ferment with the arrival of Mr Frederick Cowen, which took place three days ago, and he has had a public reception by some of our leading musicians. I amongst others was introduced to him, and found him a pleasant spoken man, cultured-looking and handsome. He is of course a Jew, as is generally known, and possesses the type of the high-caste Jewish face, which is handsome and commanding. He is rather short and thin, quick and active in his movements, and a gentleman all over. His younger brother Lionel has come out with him. This gentleman is a painter, and I believe, an A R.A. He is like his brother, but wearu his hair in long dark curls, and so looks somqwhat picturesque. He has come out with a commission from a couple of London papers to “ do ” Melbourne and the colonies—that is, to illustrate them. FOOLS AND THEIR MONEY. Every now and again an anything but pleasant reminder crops up of the late silver boom and the consequent frantic rush after shares. The latest excitement over a wretched fiasco is in connection with the Beltana Silver Mining Co., whose shares are now valueless, nobody being fool enough to buy. 11 emember well enough the floating of the mine, and the great promises made and the marvellous returns anticipated by trusting shareholders. A wonderfully rich lode was reported in the prospectus as running through the property, whilst three thousand tons of ore were said to be in sight. Shares went rapidly up to £6, and now alas 1 both lode and ore are found wanting. Fancy the dismay of men who gave £6 a share finding their scrip worth nothing more than the paper it is printed on. And fancy too the destined pockets of those who floated off this worthless mine for so many thousands. It is really terrible to think of, the amount of money drained into the pockets of a horde of syndicate grabbers and company-mongers from the foolish and lax hold of the confiding public. It is only too true, that we in Australia have many a lesson to learn, and one of the most vital is to keep the money we earn so hardly.

AN INTERESTING RUMOR.

A rumour is going about town that the heirs and representatives of Messrs Wilson and Mackinnon, the original proprietors of the Argus and Australasian, are about to ask the Supreme Court to wind up the partnership in accordance with the terms of the trust. This step, it is stated, is taken owing to the representatives of the late Mr Wilson having refused an offer to be bought out by the heirs of the late Mr Mackinnon. OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. As a true and loyal pressman, I, of course, made one insignificant item in the large concourse that assembled on Tuesday to witness the opening of Parliament, and I must confess that I was somewhat dissappointed at the dreariness and tiresomeness of the function. The day was bitterly cold and everybody seemed out of temper, and I personally was hustled and pushed about so, that I felt what Mr Elton calls an “ iaterlolloper.” His excellency (and bless him for it) arrived punctually with his guard of honor, looking not quite up to the mark, to my mind, but determined to get through the business without much loss of time. Strange to say, he drove up to the House in an ordinary closed brougham which is not quite etiquette, the proper thing being the state coach with gold and glass, footmen behind in powder and knee-b reeches and—calve?. Lady Loch too came dressed in solemn black, and although she looked very nice and lady-like, the costume did not strike me as being the most suitable for a function like the opening of Parliament.

ANANIAS IN A POKE BONNET. But indeed the ladies’ gallery, which was filled to overflowing, did not look at all bright or striking. Victoria’s daughters, who I think I may truly say, are noted for their taste and display in dress, did not oome out strongly on Tuesday. Of course the weather was against them, for it was dull and cold, with a promise of rain: and furs and heavy wraps were the general thing. Indeed, the only one who made anything of a show in the way of dress was the newly-elected Speaker of the Lower House, wh<> came resplendent in new robes received the day before from London, and copied exactly, from the ones worn by his prototype at Westminster, There was some amusement caused by the action of an old lady in a gigantic poke bonnet, who coolly appropriated one of the Press seats in the gallery. Punch has been in the habit of satirizing the Age by representing her as an old woman in a poke bonnet and calling her Ananias, and the appearance of the ancient dame in the Press gallery so reminded people of this, that a whisper ran all round, and was received with suppressed laughter, even by Vice-Royalty itself.