BEAUTY LADIES ON STRIKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 53, 17 October 1911, Page 7

BEAUTY LADIES ON STRIKE.

Tlie strike fever penetrated to the English competitors in an international beauty pageant at the Victoria Pier, Folkestone. So serious was the state of affairs that Mr Robert Forsyth, the organiser, gave instructions' for no more seats to be reserved, as no beauty competition would take place. Tlie cause of the trouble was as follows : A competition was held to choose six English girls to compote with the foreign competitors. Two girls tied lor tne sixth place, so that the English contingent would number seven. The foreign competitors who had arrived were twelve, with two more to follow, so that the English seven would have been faced by louruoon from various parts of France, Spain, Italy, and Brazil. Thereupon Miss Kitty Darling, the winner of last year’s show ,who bears a wonderful resemblance to Nell Gwynn in the .National Gallery picture by Lely, presented an ultimatum on behalf of the English competitors that they would not compete unless there was an equal lumber of English and foreign commtitors. Mr Forsyth implied that it ■vas too late then to alter the arrangenents made, and that several of the oroign entrants were travelling a very long distance, one coming from Malaga inci another from Naples. It would lot be fair, after having brought hese ladies so far, to prevent them rom competing. The reply of the •trike loaderess was that they had ome to their decision only after very , aroful consideration, and* they would eturu to their homes by the first rain unless Mr) Forsyth agreed by 9 I’clock that night (August 17th) to lave only fourteen competitors made ip of seven English and seven foreign Indies. Mr Forsyth at first refused i o concede to tVioiv wishes. 'He ar- ' jued, pleaded, hesecched, hut nil to io avail, and at 9 o’clock, rather than iisappoint the hundreds who had rebervod seats, he reluctantly agreed to reduce the number. . The Algerian ocauty (Princess Belgandouze), who had travelled specially to compete, was to appear, and the remaining thirteen competitors were to ballot to see who should stand down.