FRENCH JOY TRUST.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 213, 8 September 1923, Page 13

FRENCH JOY TRUST.

MAN WHO MADE DEAUVILLE. STARTED AS DISHWASHER. IVELL DIUKCTE* PUBLICITY. tw nc Cornm-he, to whom Deauville >vp'"ii> rnpid advancement to the posiZl v ihe most fashionable summer resort in Europe, furnishes a striking llZlk of what ,-an be effected by perISent and properly directed publicity Th rtv vcars ago lornuche was a dish--4a her".n a Paris restaurant, the most I'orlr paid of if- employees, and apparel v' with nothing better to look for-,-a to Brt he had ambition and idfn ,. and when later he started a restaurant of his own with two fellow pmnloi-ces as partners, he set his foot on the first run? of the ladder of success by bringing these idea? into play. The new restaurant was named Maxim's in honour of one of the partners, and it, soon began to be noised abroad that if one wished to see the real sights of naughty Paris Maxims •was the place to go. RICHES DIDN'T SATISFY. Maxim's made Cornuehe rich, hut riches alnne did not satisfy him. He yearned for further successes, and before the war sold Maxim's to an English syndicate, and with part of the proceeds •bought the "Ambassadeurs," at the entrance, of the Champs Elysees. He added an open air theatre and a dance hall and made all three successful. Then he sold out, and turned his attention to Trouville, which he believed could be made into a great resort. It was not far from Paris and the surroundings were beautiful. Into this little fishing village he projected himself, and built a huge casino. Ho was coining money •when he had trouble with the local authorities because he is rather a. dominating sort of person and success had somewhat turned his head. In a rage he. shook the dust of the Tillage from his feet and crossed the river to Deauville, where he proceeded to build on an even more magnificent scale. That was just before the war, and it •was not until the end of the struggle that Deauvillp shot up to its full stature and became, with the exception of Cannes and Monte Carlo, the greatest amusement resort in the world. OWES LLOYD GEORGE THANKS. The two isolated events that did more than all others to bring fame to the resorts at Deauville and Cannes, which Cornuehe later invaded with, equal success, was the international conference held at Cannes last year, a conference that held the attention of the world, and the visit of King Alfonso to Deauville. But the Cannes conference nearly went elsewhere. It was only when Briand learned that there was no golf course at Beaulieu, beyond Xice, where it had been intended to hold the conference, that he chose Cannes, because one of his objects was to keep Lloyd George, a keen golfer, in good temper. How Alfonso was lured to Deauville is not plain, but perhaps it was the news of the amusements to be found and the fame of the pretty girls ■ with whom Cornuche always surrounds his hotels and Casinos. To Deauville he went, and there disported himself joyously ■with the Dolly Sisters. His hilarity is said to have been displeasing to some of his advisers, and that is the reason his Spanish majesty did not return to Deauville this season. DESIGNED CHIEF BUILDINGS. Cornuche's own capital carried him along until he planned Deauville. Then he found that he would have to borrow heavily, so he turned to a well-known patron of Maxim's, and even less reputable resorts, for the money. This patron was Henri Letellier, who is reputed to be the richest man in France, and -who owns "Le Journal" and other newspapers, as well as banks, mines and factories. Letellier found the money, for the aims of Cornuehe were congenial to him. Letellier is quite as remarkable a man as Cornuche. He is an habitue of Montmartre night haunts, and his delight in red-headed, snub-nosed American girls has been widely celebrated. But he has also a remarkable business faculty, and is a man of unusual taste. He designed the chief buildings at Deauville with such success that many a noted architect might em-y him the result. Maxim, one of the original partners, retired long ago because of ill-health, but Chauvot, the other partner, remains in charge of the cuisine at Deauville and is by no means the least important figure in this Joy Trust" that dominates France, "