RUINED UMBRELLAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19625, 2 May 1927, Page 11

RUINED UMBRELLAS.

A .BRISK SYDNEY TRADE. SAD TOLL OF THE STORM. During the recent cyclonic storm in Sydney a wonderful fillip was given to the umbrella trade. Over'he-1 protection saved many a hat, coat, and suit; but for two days the umbrella was useless—absolutely. On Easter Monday night anywhere between 9 and 12 o'clock, more umbrellas were lost to the world than in any previous given period. Between 10 and 11 was the worst period. The attack by the elements was short and sharp. The toll of burst gamps collected by the rubbish men during two or three days constituted a record. The hurricane of Good Friday caused much ruin, but Monday's tornado reached the climax or destruction m the umbrella world. "At each corner of each street from hour to anv oilier hour," savs the bydrev Morning Herald "the umbrellas went 'pfomp.' That meant irretrievable loss. Thousands were destroyed in Svdnev alone during the five-day storm. The destruction of an umbrella presents a psychological problem. To the owner it is a tragedy; to the spectator a comedy. "Immediately the umbrella turns inside out the owner emits a loud and despairin" cry and endeavours to conceal the depths of his emotion. People around him laugh unashamedly, unsympat helically. It matters not that, 'the umbrella is ruined,. It is said by psychologists that the only thing that can prod ice laughter amid t h storm is the destruction of an umbrella."