Ib is necessary to be very eatly in making fixtures for the London season. This is the first Friday in October, and at a meeting of the Council of the Newspaper Press Fund this afternoon the question had to be considered as to the date and selection of Chairman'a for the annual dinner next summer. A few years ago there was an impression upon the Council that the time was passing away for brilliant, fashionable annual banquets and big dinner subscription lists in connection with societies like the Newspaper Press Fund, -but since then the dinners have been almost more brilliant than ever, and the subscription lists have been the greatest on the records. Last year under the Presidency of Sir Henry Irving and the year before under that of Sir John Robinson, the Manager of the Daily News, were the two most successful ever known, even if we include one of the earliest meetings when Charles Dickens was Chairman and made a speech which-has "become historic, The Council to-day decided to invite the speaker of the' House of Commons, Mr. Gully, to take the chair at next summers banquet. The Hotel Metropole had been asked to keep open for this dinner three Saturdays out of whi-h the Council might choose—one in May and two in Juno; but the reply was that already only one out of these was open, Saturday, the 13th of May, and the Council made haste to fix that date, lest it might be too late. Readers out in the East who may be intending to visit London next summer may make a note of the date of this interesting banquet, and may have a seat at table on the 13th of May by writing in good time to the secretary it 11, Garrick Street W.C. If the Speaker accepts the invitation he will be a very genial and popular President and will mako
by celebrities.
happy speech and mill be well surrounded '7th October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.