The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-08 00:00:00

DRURY-LANO 7 HEA7'RE.

The annual meeting of the proprietors of this
building was held yesterday in the saloon of the
theatre—Mr. Rawlinson in the chair.

The report of the general committee stated that
the receipts for the last twelve months (including
balance carried over) were £10,360, expenses
£7,511, leaving a balance of £2,857 at the bankers.
The report of the architect had reference to the
failure of the lessee to carry out certain covenants
for repairs, decorations, &c., into which he bad en-
tered with the proprietors. The points are wholly
without public interest.

The CHAIRMAN, in the course of some remarks
on the report, said that the rent received during
the year was considerably in excess of the average
amount, in consegnence of the greater number of
nights during which the theatre had been opened.
In reference to the alleged failure of the lessee to
carry out in a satisfactory manner the covenants
oblging him to repair, gild, and redecorate, &c.,
the theatre, the Chairman said that after some diffi-
culties it should be arranged that the lessee should
deposit a certain sum (£1,200) as guarantee for the
performance of those covenants, to be paid at the
rate of £l5O per week out of the receipts of the
pantomime.

Dr.CLARKE moved the reception of the report, and
rather questioned the justice of what was said in
the architect's report respecting the imperfect man-
ner in which the lessee had carried out his covenants
for repairs and decorations.
Mr. SHARP said he should have been glad to
know what precautions were adopted for the pre-
vention of fire in the theatre.

The CHAIRMAN replied that the whole energies
of the committee were directed to that point, and
they had recently summarily called upon the
lessee to repair a large number of gas burners,
which were more or less unsafe on account of wear
and tear. Three watchmen and one policeman
were always ou duty in the theatre during the run
of the pantomime, under the supervision of Super-
intendent Thomson, who visited the theatre at all
times and seasons, at all hours of the night, in
order to see that the firemen were doing their duty,
and a register recording the time of their coming
in, departing, &c., was invariably kept. Nothing
more in the shape of precaution could be done,
except the insurance of the building, and that, as
they knew, was almost impossible. It had been
suggested last year that there should be telegraphic
communication between the theatre and the nearest
fire brigade station, and the committee had at-
tempted to accomplish this; but in consequence of
the impending transference of the wires to the Go-
vernment the companies bad refused to undertake
the matter. The negotiations for that purpose
would, however, berenewed now that the transfer of
the telegraphs had been accomplished.
Mr. GItUNEISEN warmly defended the lessee from
the statements unfavourable to him which were
contained in the report of the architect.

After a long discussion (turning wholly upon
the differences between the lessee and the archi-
tect), the reception of the report was carried by a
large majority.
The other formal business was afterwards de-
spatched.