*Friends of China" Organized By Former S'hai Man "Friends of China, charitable organization to send medical aid to China, has ceased to exist after three or four weeks, Its first "mammoth matinee" in aid of the fund, to have been he}a the Phenix Theatre on December 17, has been cancelled, and the handbills and posters advertising the affair have been withdrawn.
Many patrons of "Friends of China" have withdrawn their support, and many of the artists who it was hoped would appear at the charity performance have' refused to take part.
Mr. H. O. Shine, organiser of "Friends of China," told me recently hat the whole thing is "washed out" (writes an "Evening News" representative). I saw him in his third-floor office in Whitehall.
"I cannot understand why patrons have withdrawn their support," Mr. Shine said to me, "I can only assume that it is some sort of opposition inspired by some other organisation, I erely have my own suspicions.
"I was in Shanghai eight or nine years ago as the representative of an engineering firm, and I got to know many Chinese, When the war with Japan started my sympathies were immediately with the Chinese.
£350 Hoped For "1 decided to organise Friends of China' and got many promises of support. I act as theatrical manager for several artists in addition to puplicity work, and decided that a good money-raising scheme would be ta organise a charity show.
"The show at the Phoenix was to have been the first of a series of similar functions.
We would have raised about £350 for the charity by the Phoenix performance. I was going to send the cosh to the British Red Cross Society to add to their China relief funds.
We had already sold a number of tickets for the show, and the money has now been returned.
"I did not put the name of any person on the letter-heads of the "Friends of China' until I had received in writing their acknowledgment of my letter of invitation and their agreement to become patrons,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.