New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-17
Here Are Some Inside Facts
About the Passing OF
the Buck" All Along
the Circuit.

When you've signed for your pro ratA
share OF all this TO an amount that you feel
will almost exhaust the company's share OF
the gross receipts POUNDS turns MS atteh-
ton 10 the back OF the house.
The Theatrical Mechanics Union Is very
particular" ne announces. you'll nave 10
put on eight extra men in the wings -FOUR
in the flies. a property man and assistant
and two stage carpenters. Your scenery
freproofed7 Out West, en-? That won't
answer New York specifications; must Dc
done over. While you're about IL nave our
man repair and varnish your photograph
disnIay frames. His charge is SD eacn.
,rbe ROYAL Transfer Company VIII naui
,our stuff. IS or $40 a load, forget which.
Pstronize the Imperial Laundry; punoies
collected and delivered at the stage oooi'
ri. vour meals at the Gaudy Restaurant.
inst across the way. ! don't care "nero
Won sleep, but the wife OF the property man
runs a very good theatrical boarding hou.o
which I recommend for the chorus people
saw he winds up, come around about
this time tomorrow and II there's any,
thing haven't thought Of I'll give It to
you them
the visitor learns few other things that
zo,rds hasn't seen At to communicate.
FIRST there's the hotel graft The apph-
cant at the box ONCE pays " apiece ior
seats; the hotel patron who purchases them
at a ticket agency in any OF the notes pays
81 50. The ticket agency gets one-haiI Oh 'ho
5O-cent premium and the management Oh
the theatre pockets the other halt. Now
26 cents apiece on a few tickets noesnt
amount 10 much. In the case Of many AZ
fractions the graft Is so petty as 10 o"
negligible. But suppose the attraction Do
comes really profitable, playing to croWded
houses nightly. The hotels sell large quAn-
titles Of tickets right along, turning o'er
n the box Office $500 or 500 week over ana
sboye the face value Of the tickets. Tnen-
inst tho same-that $500 or 800 Is the per-
ouisite OF the house management and the
y,sitine company is cheated out Of the goo
or ,2so that should constitute its Ttghtfui
share.
Another source of profit to the house
,,orogar "a the advertisement-overioade
programme. The printer who holds tho
programme contract has paid dearly ior
the privilege. He has made his pront from
the uberality OF advertisers whose an
nouncements cucumber the many pages OK
| the book making the title OF the play ana
the names OF the actors as hard to find as
| the proverbial needle In q haystack. But
not penny OF the programme premium
goes TO the producing company. The house
| pockets IT all.
Straws show the direction Of the wind,
and the above revelations are merely hints
| as to the probable manner in which Man
ager BOUNDS runs all his affairs The per-
sons or firms he advises you 10 patronize
either give him free service or pay him n
commission on all your purchases. Tho
/ threat OF the labor unions hostility is tho
| club whereby he forces you 10 pay large
portion OF his stage crews salary list. And
extra advertising. Lucky for you there II
you are not paying for the entire expenS"
OF the POUNDS advertising staff for the
| fittings and the current Of the big electric
sign, for the whole mailing list, for the
major part OF the billboard and lithograph
display and for considerably more than .
per cent OF the newspaper advertising.
And the peculiar feature Of it IS that
BOUNDS the interchangeable. BOUNDS the
hustlng. dynamic house manager OF tho
'pusher' type, considers himself a pretty
decent fellow-as men go and as business
goes, honest" Naturally he has got rich
and bought villa on tho Sound and owns
Continued on seNenth naVe