Ponnla and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 301, 19 December 1931, Page 8

Ponnla and Their Doings .

Member of Radio Board who has a Mind of his own : What Noel Coward Earns in Royalties.

Tyfß G. R. HUTCHINSON, of the new A Radio Board, started in the grocery business in a small way, but built up a very valuable connection, in which his interest at the moment is concentrated principally on the wholesale side. He is described as essentially a vigorous man who makes up his own mind without vacillation. He is very highly respected in Auckland, where he is at present chairman of the Harbour Board. He is also chairman of the Helensville Co-operative Dairy Co., and is a wellknown stud stock breeder with a model herd of Holsteins in the Helensville district. He was connected with volunteering early in life, and during the Great War did splendid organising work in connection with the A.S.C. with which he went abroad as Major. w TN respect to the personalities involved, A the contest for Melbourne is one of the most interesting in the Australian Federal election. As to the result, there is less interest. In the expressive language of the Turf, “ on all known form, it will not be a race.” The retiring member is the Socialist Labourite, Dr William Robert Nuttall Maloney, who has been a member of Parliament practically continuously for forty-two years. He sat in the Victorian Assembly from 1889 to 1903. Then he resigned to contest the Melbourne Federal seat against the late Sir Malcolm M Eachern, then head of the well-known Australian shipping line. There was a lot of over that election, but in the end Dr Maloney, to the consternation of the Conservatives, became the first Labour member for Melbourne. Electoral alterations later made the seat a safe one for Labour. There is probably nobody in Victoria who does not know who is meant by “ the little Doctor. Now seventy-seven years of age, Dr Mai* oney is not so active as he used to be, but his is a great reputation, indeed, among the poor of Melbourne. To oppose such a member for such a seat calls for courage. At Ypres on April 26, 1915, Private and Acting-Corporal Izzy Smith, of the Ist Manchester, “left safe cover on his own initiative and went out a long way toward the enemy lines to assist a severely wounded man.” He faced heavy fire going and returning, and later

many more wounded. They gave him the Victoria Cross on that occasion. He is the candidate opposing “the little Doctor, but what he will receive this time is in doubt. TLTR NOEL COWARD, at the age of 32, is making British stage history by the remarkable way in which his earnings from plays are tnounting. His royalties as author and producer from one week’s perforivtances of “ Cavalcade,” playing to packed houses at Drury Lane, London, amounted to well over £650. In addition, Mr Coward is drawing royalties from two companies touring “ Bitter Sweet,” from the provincial tours of “ Private Lives,” and from two tours of the latter play in the United States. There are substantial royalties from the sheet and gramophone music of “ Bitter Sweet ” and others of his recent stage compositions which are selling well in England, in the United States and on the Continent. Several of Mr Coward’s earlier successes are also meeting with great success in Central Europe. Taking all these sources of royalties into account, his present income from stage works may be estimated at approximately £I2OO a week —an amazing figure for a man of 32. W W r PO REALISE the extent of Mr Coward’s fortune from the stage—and most of it has been earned within the past four years —it must be recorded that his earnings to date from “Bitter Sweet” are estimated at about £40,000; that he earned £IO,OOO as author, producer and actor from the tenweeks’ season of “ Private Lives ” in the West End of London, and probably more than that for the New York season; and that he drew royalties for several months as author, lyricist and composer of the revue, “This Year of Grace,” produced at the London Pavilion in 1928 by Mr C. B. Cochran, who has presented all Mr Coward’s plays since that date. Mr Coward set off a few weeks ago for a six months’ holiday in South America. On his return he will have to consider offers for the film rights of “ Cavalcade,” while it has already been announced that “ Bitter Sweet ” is to be filmed—two more prospec-

TVfISS JOYCE WETHERED, the greatest - LTA woman golfer of all time and four times winner of the women’s open championship, is to marry Major Cecil Hutchison, another international golfer, who played in 1909 in the final of the amateur championship. Miss Wethered retired from competitive golf after winning the “ Open at Troon in 1925, but came back in 1929 to win once again at the expense of the reigning champion, Miss Glena Collett, of the United States. . Major Hutchison has played many times for Scotland against England. Both he and Miss Wethered are expert skaters. QF ® @ CIXTY YEARS AGO (from the “Star” ® of December 18, 1871): — Colonial wines.—A novel procession attracted considerable attention in High Street yesterday. About noon «fht‘own carriers’ waggons, laden with hogsheads labelled “Adelaide wines,” were observed slowly moving northward, and conjecture was rife for a considerable time before anything like the true origin of the demonstration was hit upon. It ultimately became known, however, that Mr A. R. Preston, agent for the Adelaide wines in Christchurch, had selected this means for publicly announcing his removal from premises in Barrett’s Hotel to a shop in Colombo street, opposite to the Bank of New Zealand. Mr Preston, it will be remembered, .was tne first bona fide agent for the wines in Christchurch. . , Fire Brigade.—The weekly practice of the Christchurch Fire Brigade was held last night, and it was an unusually severe one. Both the steamers were taken to the t»nk in front of Cobb and Sawtell’s, and little short of two hours’ work was done by the men. So far as the extinguisher was concerned, the test was the same as would have been applied had there been a fire. Mr Harris at an unexpected hour roused the engineer with an order to proceed to the spot named, and the movements were so conducted that the engine was taken to the tank by the corporation horses, steam got up, and water in play all within seventeen minutes from the first alarm. The rapidity of getting up steam in the Deluge was also tested, and we understand that after the arrival at the tank the fire was lighted and steam got up to 75 pounds witheight minutes fifteen seconds^