A Diorama Proprietor’s Troubles.

Evening Star, Issue 6842, 4 March 1886, Page 4

A Diorama Proprietor’s Troubles.

“ Zulu ” Thompson has found it necessary to file. Examined before the Official Assignee at Wellington last week, he said: —“I passed through Wellington about four years ago with a panorama of the Zulu War. At that time I had on deposit at 21> per cent, in the Bank of Australasia the sum of L2,u00. I afterwards went to Sydney, where I pm chased shares in the new theatre. I bought 200 shares, and paid LOGO for them, including calls. The shares were subsequently sold for L 250, so that I dropped L3oo over them. I paid Mr George Gordon, of the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, Lfi.'O cash for the Egyptian War Diorama. In Sydney I lost L7oo through opposition in the show business; also on account of that being the fifth time the exhibition had visited the place. I then decided to leave Australia, and proceeded to the Mauritius with a company of nine persona, including the band, and paid L 350 in passage-money. Messrs Saber and Sons, of Sydney, supplied me with L4OO worth of goods on bills, I had been dealing many years with them, and they did not want cash. I had also L6OO in money, and LGOO worth of additional goods, making LI,OOO worth of goods altogether. Assignee : What kind of goods ? Mr Thompson : Prizes, and so forth. Assignee: That is a thundering lot. Mr Thompson: Is it? But you can’t get anything of that kind in the Mauritius, and we had to take them over with us. Wc arrived there in February, in the height of summer, when all the people were out of town, and wc had a bad season. Mrs Thompson had to pawn her diamonds to enable us to get out of the country, and I lost the balance of my cash. We w'ere compelled to remain there six weeks for a boat.

Assignee : Do you mean to say you spent at the rate of LIOO per week ? Mr Thomson: Yes ; L2OO a-week. Do you think a show could he worked on less? Well, we went thence to Durban, in South Africa, where wc were similarly unsuccessful on account of the depressed state of the country. When I arrived in Cape Town I had LOO left out of all my capital, just sufficient to pay the passage of myself and wife from the Cape of Good Hope to Melbourne, I had to leave my company there, except the pianist. I arrived in Melbourne with Lo in my pocket. We re-organised the company in Sydney, and the Bank of Australasia lent me L2OO on some land I had at the North Shore. Afterwards we went up count ry and lost that, and the bank gave me another LSO. Then I went to Melbourne and lost everything. Then I pawned my big diamonds for Ll5O to pay off liabilities. Mr Iliscocks got judgment against me for four weeks’ rent of the theatre. At Ballarat the show was seized, Mrs Thompson had at that time a little money, which was settled on her under her father’s will. We came down to New Zealand on the strength of LSO worth of gifts, and our passages were advanced by a person in Melbourne, who has since been repaid. In Invercargill wc cleared about Ll6 or LI7 in the fortnight; also got on very well in Dunedin, plying everybody and leaving with LOG. At Christchurch wc did wretched business, playing to L2 17a Gd per night, and losing everything. At Hokitika wc lost money on account of the action of Montague and Co. Wc were doing very well in Wellington, when judgment was obtained against mo by P, Haymnn and Co., and Hobbs and Goodwin, on which the show was seized and I filed. My wife has sold the property she possessed. From 1676 I have paid Saber and Sons at the rate of L 2,000 per year for gifts. I always paid the hoard and lodging of the company and their wages every Monday morning. The Zulu war diorama cost mo L 2.000. At that time the excitement about the war was at its height, and therefore the panorama was worth more than now.