Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-15
The Greatest Theatre CITY
Of The World.
The Transatlantic Travel for
Last Year.l
Lottery Business :. What the
Schools OF New York Cost.

| New York, Jan 14-That New York
Is the greatest theatre city in the
world is a statement borne out by the
latest figures which show that the an
| nual theatre attendance here is equal
| 10 one quarter of the entire population
OF the United States. In other words
2oO00000 persons Of whom probably
one fifth are visitors from other parts
OF the country, attend all sorts OF
SHOWS here every year and in doing
so they expend the enormous sum Of
SloO,O00,0O0. This of course IS not paid
entirely for admission tickets. since
$23.0O0000 covers that item. In al
dltion to this, however. nearly $4,000. :
900 Is spent on cabs, carriages and
autos, something like $1,000, 900 in
flowers and more than $50. 1000 600 on
food and drink before and after the
theatre or opera in New Yurll's various
hotels and restaurants Out Of the
average cost of five dollars a person
attending performance. therefore.
three quarters is spent on accessories
and more than half for liquid or solid
refrcshmcnt. in Manhattan alone
there are o. theatres of which the total
average nightly attendance is $4,000.
To produce the plays which New
Workers go to see costs annually about
S11 100000. OF this salaries to actors
take about 100000 ranging from the
So week paid the member of the
chorus to the $1,000 paid to the biggest
stars, although there are very few get
ting this amount. The regular
employees Of the theatres, such as stage
ha n1S ticket nd
about $2.000,000 annually in addition to
this. Another $1,000. 900 is expended in
trying out and putting on new plays
every year, thus bringing the total cost
up to $S,000,000. The leases, taxes and
interest on the CO theatres valued at
$50, 100000 bring the total cost of pro-
ducing these various amusements up
70 1000, 900. Even then however
there remains n profit Of about $4,000, :
000 for the managers. Altogether it Is
probable that the expenditure for
amusements in New York, together
with the various accessories, is con-
sidcrably in excess of 100000 900
With the sensational disclosure at
the time of its adjustment in certain
southern states it was believed that
the lottery and the selling of lottery
tickets had been done away with in
this country. Consequently the dis
covery that a full fledged lottery is be-
ing conducted in New York, with
regular sale of tickets, has caused q.
great surprise. Information has
recently leaked out. however, that such
is the case and that for months past
agents have been reaping a golden
harvest by the sale of tickets, particu-
larly on the crowded East Side. So
popular has the lottery become with
its patrons, who refuse to divulge in
formation concerning it or its methoos,
that the combined efforts of the post
office officials and the city detectives
have not as yet resulted in running
any one to earth. 1t is known. how
ever, that agents who sell tickets have
regular territories throughout the city,
although they use no offices of their
own. and that they will do no business
with any one who is not introduced by
a person known to them to be trust
worthy. Tickets cost two dollars each
but are sub-divided into eig3ths at
twenty-five cents each. The rv.acipal
prize is said to be $25, 900 but extended
investigation has failed to discover in
the city anybody who has won it,
although small amounts have been
judiciously distributed. There is 4
strong suspicion that the whole affair
is q SWindle since it is asserted that
many of the tickets are bogus and are
sold to foreigners who cannot read
English. AS there are 100000 numbers
in each drawing it is apparent that the
affair would be a gold mine even if
honestly conducted. New York, how
ever, has had one recent lesson in the
policy game" Of the late Al Adams
and it is unlikely that the present
lottery will be able to continue much
longer
Figured in dollars and cents the tra-
nondous organization for public cdu-
cation which New York has built up
represents the Investment of the in
come from the enormous sum of
s.. 900 100000. The entire cost of Father
schools as they stand
today is nearly 500, 600. 600 according
to the latest report of the Finance
Committee Of the Board Of Education.
q sum spent for education alone and
equal to one-tcnth of the annual ap-
proDriation of Congress for the vari-
Gus needs Of the entire country. OF
this 500. 100000 about one-quarter. or
s25, 600, 600 has been used for the pur
chase of sites, so that the value Of the
real estate in this city devoted to edu-
cation is on It's present valuation prob
ably greater than that held by any one
of the city's money kings. For the
erection of school buildings S6e00o.o0o
has been spent. thus making these
larger than those Of any own
er Of skyscrapers. 1t has taken moro
than s11.O00,00o to equip these schools.
The Board of Education now owns $40