REPLY TO A COMPLAINT.

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 December 1911, Page 2

REPLY TO A COMPLAINT.

[TO tee editor.]

(Published by Arrangement.)

itt id lefier' hi yduf issue of f (he 29th instant sigilSa hj' an old find esteemed friend, Mr W. Hanna, I fefel.sis a member of Mr Michel’s Committee, that j I must acquaint yourself and readers with 1 the facts of the case, which are as follows: —The Adelphi Theatre in Kumara was engaged by Mr Michel’s Committee for ail addrCSs dilcl social, no restriction being placed oil tile decdfatuWis Astral qn fciicli occasions; the fee charged bring £7), The litilloa df tile fcdfrlmittee worked hard at arranging decorations, itc/i add liiade a large floral horseshoe with the of hanging it over the proscenium. However, .it was discovered that a picture of our late' ’ respected Premier was hanging there and it would be impossible to hang the horseshoe without hiding the picture. 1 inyself asked olie of the co-proprietors if lie had ally Objections id removing the picture to. any spot Where it would not interfere with tlie!. decorations and the answer was characteristic of the mart Slid for the benefit of my old friend, who 1 thifik has been misinformed, I give it: —No, if ybd take that picture down you can take your show out of the hall; it is only spite to take down a dead man. Needless to say, the picture was not touched, but the horseshoe Was hung, and was never at any time Within tighter/il Inches of the picture. Now, Mr Editor, until this present election that particular picture always hung ill the passage of the Adelphi, and for companions it had all the gaudy posters such as ■‘TiJltie tile Wgh kicker,’ “Frank the bounder/’ ‘the Kelly gang/ etc,, but up t. the present that picture did hot fit'er.n to be treated to any disrespect; and Totiie and Co. were apparently considered equal and proper company for it. It seems to me that the picture was there for a purpose, especially as it was profusely draped With blue add White, of which colours our kite respected Premier klleW nothing, and, further, to bear out my contention, I might stale that when the hall was packed ; ana several ladies could find no seats I approached this same proprietor to open the gallery and met with a point blank refusal, and I had to ask our worthy Mayor, Mr J, A, Murdoch, who presided, to ask from the platform for the gallery to be thrown open. This, after some delay, was done, and the congestion of the loWer portion of the hall relieved. It now, Mi- Editor, looks very much to me as if every possible obstacle was pkiced in the way of Mr Michel's Committee, and it might interest the proprietors of the Adelphi to know that a.large majority of the people of Kumara resent such tactics so much that to-day a syndicate was formed here to build an up-to-date hall which will be run free from political bias so that should be sufficient proof as to what the public think. I think my name will be sufficient guarantee as to truthfulness of this statement, and as I do not intend going into a newspaper controversy I append it. I am, etc., —

T. KENNEDY, Kumara, 29th November, 1911.