AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 20 February 1931, Page 7

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

PRESENT CONDITIONS

NEW ZEALAND PROSPEROUS IN COM PARI SON

“New Zealand is a world of prosperity in comparison with Australia,” said Mr George Hon, manager of the Humphrey Bishop .Musical Comedy Company, which comes to Nelson tomorrow to a “.Mail” representative today. Mr Box gave some striking impressions of present-day conditions in Australia.

“There are 62.000 people in Sydney alone receiving a dole of food twice weekly,” said Mr Ron, “consisting of half a pound of butter, two loaves, three pounds of meat, one tin of condensed milk, one pound of lice. two pounds of flour, one tin of jam, three pounds of potatoes and two oranges. These are rationed out on the advice ol Dr. Arthur, the Government medical officer. It is heart-breaking to see men whom I knew to be hard-working and thrifty lined up in a queue to receive food for their families. On the rubbish tips are to be seen numbers of children with ‘billy’ carts, gathering small pieces of firewood, as in consequence of gas bills being unpaid, the gas supply has been cut off.

“You can imagine bow I smile when I hear the word ‘depression’ used here in New Zealand,” said Mr Ron. “Why, you tire a world of prosperity here in comparison with Australia. Over there even single girls are being aided in the matter of room rents. (By the way, 1 note the Government here have made no provision for out-of-work females in their Unemployment Bill.) Against all this there was an attendance of over 10,000 at tlio Haines-Pnlmer boxing contest, so there must be money somewhere.”

THE STAGE “COME BACK” Referring to the legitimate stage Air Ron said that, according to some critics it. was dead. The answer to that was in the fact that at the present time there were five “flesh-and-blood” shows running in Sydney, and Union Theatres, Ltd., who control 153 theatres in the Commonwealth, were reverting to vaudeville and pictures, with stage presentations, ballets and orchestras. The first straight out vaudeville company to “come back” was sponsored by Hugh

“OLD TIMERS” The first programme was headed by some retd “old-timers”—Ada. Reeve, who readily owns to being 63 years of age, “Peggy” Pryde, reputed to ho 65 (she wtis “old Peggy” when Mr Rox was a. juvenile comedian 20 years ago !), and Fred Bluett, 56. Mr Rox said tlicit it would ho seen that, there was life in the old “dogs" yet. Some 6f the actors had deserted (ho stage for commercial life. Dan Morris, of Moon and Morris, was the proprietor of a cafe; Bert Le Blanc, Hebrew comedian, was running a fish shop at Bondi ; Fred Monument was a commercial traveller, and Joe Valli, late of Pat Hanna’s “Diggers,” had a scrap iron business in Brisbane. It is several years since the Humphrey Bishop company visited Nelson. The company has been going continuously for 15 years. Mr Rox thinks that live shows are in. for a revival. The “New Moon” company was doing well in New Zealand at the present time, and “The Firm” were sending over “Mr Cinders,” “Sons of Guns.” “The Little Accident,’' and other plays.

OPTIMISM WANTED “In conclusion,” said Mr Rox. “I would like to offer a suggestion to your business men. won't meet, your customers with a long face and moan that business is had. Adopt the optimistic attitude. I was in Gisborne recently and heard of a hack-country mail who entered a shop to make a number of purchases. In the course of conversation the shopkeeper said that business was awful and things were going to he worse, with the result the customer Lightened his purse strings and purchased just half the quantity of goods he originally intended. 1 am convinced that the present position in New Zealand is better than most people believe it to he. .1 am sure that if more optimism prevailed the public would not he afraid to pul their money into circulation and things would have to improve.”