MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1558, 8 June 1885, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

« Upon the last pantomime at the Drnry Lane Theatre London, there was spent from first to last no less a sum than £35,000. The returns proved correspondingly great.' Daring the early weeks the performances were j given afternoon and evening, to average I receipts of £1000 a day. Considerably I over 300,003 persons had seen the ■ piece, the largest audience comprising 3,412 persons, when tha receipts were over £550. March 25 was the last night of 130 representations, which is said to be the longest consecntive run of any pantomime ever produced. Forty schools aud parties of poor children, 9.000 in the aggregate, had been present by invitation at morning performances of it. The report of the Medical Officer for the port of London shows that during 1884 the imports of frozen meat reached the enormous qnanity of 619,324 sheep and 115,377 quarters ef beef Most of these supplies arrived in magnificent condition, Of course there were cases of loss, aa with one consignment in August, where 2279 quarters out of 2289 had to be destroyed, but this was quite exceptional. In the opinion of the officer this important trade h&s now reached a reasonably safe condition thanks to the knowledge gained un- J fortunately through repeated failures, j of the best way of maintaining the requisite degree of temperature in the storage chambers on board ship. It is remarkable that while the imports from Russia and the United States show a tendency to fall off, those from Aus- j tralia, New Zealand, and the Plate District, are increasing enormously. During the first quarter of last year, only 99,587 carcasses of sheep came in, but in the last quarter the number amounted to 168,104 at the port of London alone, a fact which speaks volumes for the increased favor with which the frozen meat is now regarded ! by consumers.