Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16

their local governing DO0feS IL not the
fault of the county council which every
week prints reports OF committees running
into hundreds of closely printed foolscap
pages. Today there has been Issued vol
ume entitled London Statistics. which
runs into I'll pages and contains detailed in
formation and figures about every conceiv-
able thing for which the council is respon-
sible, besides much other informa ton OF in
terest. After perusal OF the volume one Is
more than ever impressed by the vastness
of the metropolis and the immense task
which is imposed on those who are respon-
stbie for its good government. The net rate
able value Is 500, 435. tp0 and the area of
Greater London Is 40. 40 acres. The parish
Is the unit area for rating purposes. and 1t
is carfeus to note that there are more par
ishes in the city of London than in the
county Of London-114 as against GO. There
are els miles of railway and no less than
54S stations within the metropolitan police
district and the returns show that the pop
ulation Is steadily moving outward.
There are 1903 county council parks. which
include 81 acres of ornamental waters. and
involve net cost to the rates of S5T6,ooo.
are on the registers Of the public element
airy schools. and over 1O9.S0 of them are
absent for some reason or other every time
the schools are open. The police statistics
are interesting. As Is well known. there
two police forces In London. the city
police, which controlled by the city
corporation. and the metropolitan police.
which are controlled by the home office,
a watch committee. The average daily
strength of the city police is l.0O1. and of
the metropolitan police 1917. The length
of roads maintained by London public bod
les is 2.O17 miles. nearly 2DO miles of which
are laid with tramway lines. OF the nfty-
four licensed theaters. eleven are under the
jurisdiction of the council. and all the
forty-four music halls.
Gaines "Prodigal Son."
Drury Lane Theater will have ''repeti-
ton generate" next Tuesday of Mr.. Hall
Gaines "Prodigal Son." the long-expected
and well-advertised play. Mr.. Arthur COL
Inns has improved on the late Sir Augustus
Harris, who. with the late DOyly Carte
set something Of an example In TINS respect,
and the dress rehearsal of Drury Lane
piece Is now almost as smooth as the hrst
performance, and approaches the seml-pup-
lie performance-that is, the repetition
generate" that precedeS the premiere at
French theater Pantomime, the incorr1-
gible Is an exception. The dress rehearsal
at last years Drury Lane pantomime last
ed considerably more than tweiVe houi -
running well into the next morning. Other-
WISE a Drury Lane dress rehearsal has
been for some time a very smooth and
workmanlike affair, with considerable au-
dience, including the leading critics ana a
goodly number of friends or the mana ge-
ment friends of the artists and otherwise
the odds and ends of theaterdom that gain
er on these occasions.
with regard to the ieuuCtioi'
of the large salaries given to star music
hall artists by a powerful variety syndi-
cate l am informed that several comedy
artists have made up their minds not TO
submit Should the managers insist. they
will raise companies and go on tour. On.y
the other day an artist who was paid ITO
a week had a quarrel with his manage
When this became known he was promptly
offered by a rival house EGO a week The
huge salaries of music hall stars are. OF
course, often earned by singing in two and
sometimes three halls every night
A new comedy. An, Angel unaWares.
which Is to be produced at TerryS Theater
on September u, is the work OF Mr.. Robert
Vernon Harcourt, son of the late Sir VIII
liam Harcourt. The young playwright VINO
was born in 1878, is half-brother to Mr..
Lewis Harcourt. his mother being the lib
eral statesman's second wife, and daugh-
ter of ]. l.. Motley, the famous American
minister in England.
Those who are not enamored of the actor
manager system will find no encourage
ment In recent developments in London. At
the beginning of the year Mr.. James Nelch
will join the ranks of west-end actor-man-
ayers, the popular comedian having taken
a theater for a considerable period for the
production of new plays, in which he IL
himself be the leading spirit The an
nouncement naturally suggests reference
to the present numerical strength or the
actor-manager list in the west end Ihere
is Mr.. Tree at His Majesty's. Mr.. George
Alexander at the st. James, Mr. Lewis
Waller at the Imperial, MI SSIii -htuuS'
whose home will, 1t is said. be at the Ave-
nue.; Mr.. Seymour Hicks at the Aldwych,
Sir Charles Wyndham at the New, MT.
Bourchier at the Garrick. Mr.. Forbes Rob
ertson at the Scala, besides several others
like Mr. Weldon Grossmith and Miss Ethel
Irving. who have gone in for temporary
management.
THE Scornful Lady" Beaumont and
F1etcher's comedy, will be the first produc-
ton of the Mermaid Repertory Theater at
the Great Queen Street Theater on Monday
next Miss Ethel Irving finds that, owing
to the pressure of other work. she Is obliged
to alter her decision to appear in Congreve's
"Way of the World until later In che sea-
son.