MOURNING. IN SYDNEY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13738, 20 May 1910, Page 8

MOURNING. IN SYDNEY.

(BT 0l"R SPECIAL COBRESroXDKNT.) SYDNEY. May 14. This, as ymi may readily imagine, has been a depressing week in the city. Things are practically in a state of postponement, and though the theatres have not been closed, except on tho Saturday night of the news of the King's death, the receipt.-: have shown in a considerable degree the influence of this period of mourning. Tho theatrical managers suffered a.

serious financial loss by the Saturday night closing, inasmuch as that is the best night of the week all over Australia— tho '-first nights" are always on Saturday ; n the Commonwealth —and tliev .stand to lose still more in the ialling-otf of their revenue for the fortnight of waiting for the funeral. Even a c.haritv matinee, given in Syd-nr-v this week by Mr Oscar Asdic, Miss Lily Bray tori, and their English cumpanv at ihe (nteriui. on belialt of the' Hospital Saturday fund, was affected. It realised but had it come in auy other time the result would probably- have been L'loo still Letter. Meanwhile, there is a general postponement of all concerts and most outdoor amusements, l hough horseracing and football have been resumed in a spirit more or less subdued. Madame Cahv, who came to Sydney this week after a brilliant artistic success in Melbourne, finds her concert tour interrupted. The .Sydney season will not beuin until after the Kings funeral, and this delay will of course affect dates elsewhere. .1. and N. Tait, who aro directing the tour, had a further oxponence of the .-ic:s--situdes of management, this week, v lion the Maheno. from Auckland, failed to reach Sydney in time to allow the members oi the Besses o' tho Barn Baud to catch the express for Melbourne. The consequence of tin's is that they cannot get to Melbourne in time to give their first concert there to-niyht, as Mas intended. There has been an extraordinary demand for black and purple cloth for mourning sinco the news of the King s death. The draping of thc public l.uildin<is—Parliament House, the Law Courts," the Treasury, the Chief Secrete rv's buildiivi.'., the Public- Woiks and Lands building, and so on—and the premises of the business people, has gone on this week, but has proceeded slowly owing to the difficulty in fulfilling orders for material for tin's purpose One letailtr win bought about. •>OOO yards of black material from a warehouse before the» King's death for from 4Jd to (id per yard, was eagcriv ir-terviewed oy representatives of the warehouse .in Monday morning, as they wanted to buy the cloth back again: but as he was then getting C\- 6d per yard for it, he declined to sell under that price. The rush for mourning materials at the warehouse was so great that the usual lines were all sold out- very soon, and other and n ore expensive materials had to be used. The chief trouble was with purple, as the supply of tb..> right shades was not too plentiful by any means. Tlu contractors for the draping of die public 1 buildings had by Wednesday afternoon used five miles of material lor this purpose, and as earl j- as Monday had to refuse private orders, unloss given their own time for tho work.

In addition to all this, there has been an onormous trado over tho counters of drapery stores in mourning bands, ties, dress materials, hats, hatpins, and jet jewellery, so that the shop assistants have been kept as busy as nailers to meet the demand. One (irra state's that miles of mourning have been sold at its house, large reserve stocks which happened to be on hand having been opene-d up -md disposed of as quickly as they could be measured out lo customers. Another firm bad lying by in its store the drapir.gs it had used on the occasion of the death of Queen Victoria—4oo yards in ull-rhiit m> greas was "die rush this week that even these were snapped up by buyers. Everywhere throughout the city and suburbs there has been tho samo story of eager demand for mourning goods. It is doubtful, however, if all this will compensate the drapers for tho slump in lighter fabrics.

The string bands playing at tho street corners begin their programmes with Chopin's Funeral March or the Dead March from --'Saul." • It was very impressive to sco one band of these itinerant musicians, on the morn, iiig when it was known that King Edward was dead, a dismally wet, morning, plaj'ing the Dead March, with a great crowd standing with heads uiicrvered in tho rain. The' German street musicians are rigidly cli&erving the rule about playing this sombre music at the introduction to a programme, aud avoiding as far as possible the light and sparkling music of comic opora.

As the street fronts of tho buildings along George street, King street, and in the other leading thoroughfares, are heavily hung with black and purple, which covers the pediments and pillars, the appearance of the city is sombro to a degree. One drapery bouse sent out early this week to one order alone, 46 pieces of black material; and when it_ is stated that each piece contains 1000 yards., the extent of the demand for mourning may bo realised.