European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Although Bowling la enjoying taiga of popularity in Manhattan Many Bowling alleys Are closing. Bowling is booming by Douglas Martin new York times Ince dutch settlers brought Bowling to Manhattan and the English played at Bowling Green the sport has been part of the Island s life. By 1840. Nearly every Block of Broadway from Button Street to 14th Street boasted an Alley according to historical accounts. Manhattan s lanes Are St Iii booming. From investment Bankers to Broadway dancers to defense department employees people Are flocking to set up Bowling leagues. Hour Long wails for an open Lane have become so common they no longer spark Strong complaints. Kathleen Turner Liza mme Lii Bernadette Peters and the cast of the All my children soap opera All fancy Beacon lanes an aging second Story Alley on Amsterdam Avenue. But even As the sport s popularity blooms bawling alleys Are dying in Manhattan the american Birthplace of a pastime dating to ancient Egypt. They take a lot of space that can be More profitably used. There s going to be a Nice new Condo Here the Beacon s manager. Bill Nye said dryly the other Day referring to what he expects when the Bowling Alley s lease expires in 19b9, what s the future of bawling in Manhattan asked Tom Robaly director of the Madison Square Garden Bowling Center the Borough s biggest and most modern Bowling facility. I think it s Bleak i really  Over the last decade the number of alleys has shrunk by half and the four remaining Are threatened bowlers and Bowling operators say. It has not been decided whether a new Madison Square Garden if it is built on eleventh Avenue will include a Bowling Alley. The port authority of new York and new Jersey does not want to renew the Laase Lor mid City Bowling in the bus terminal on eighth Avenue Emil Viola the proprietor says. If these All die Only colourful bowl or lanes in Greenwich Village on University place which has 11 years left on its Laase will remain. If it goes the Bowling Era in Manhattan will almost certainly be Over Bowling operators say. I doubt seriously you la Ever see another Bowling Center open in Manhattan Roballey said. Not Only is Bowling enjoying a surge in popularity it is also showing off a Sharp new look. Largely gone is the image of the Beer swigging truck Driver in those lovable baggy shirts. At the Tony places balls Are color coded As to weight bags look Tike Fine carry on Luggage and some shoes resemble the deck shoes used for yachting. Women who now make up half the nation s 70 million bowlers compete in the same leagues As men. Children compete in their own weekend leagues. Notably Bowling will be a demonstration sport in next year s summer olympics in Seoul South Korea. No More gossip with Tea by gotten Timberlake associated press he age of technology appears to be overtaking British Loa ladies who Lor centuries have served businessmen their Lea in Fine China cups with a smile maybe some gossip and. When needed a bit of Motherly advice. In Many businesses these Days shiny Tea dispensers. Have replaced the women who traditionally made a trolley run twice a Day to serve executives in their offices. It s a trend regretted by Many. There is something very British about Tea ladies said Mark Chapman an Independent television producer Chapman recently made a documentary about Tea and said he discovered that More people were going to Tea dispensing machines making the Tea ladies an endangered  for some of the Young people the machines Are very very Good 1 cart understand that said Noreen Horsburgh a Tea lady at an accounting firm. They say they use the machines a lot but partners Don  Are Tea ladled an endangered species it seems like it now said Horsburgh who has served Tea for 20 years. There Are 180,000 machines dispensing Tea in offices factories and other locations throughout Britain Sab Rob Oserve Ltd a major vending machine maker. Thai number will increase by another 10 percent in each of the next five years the London based company predicted. The number of British machine manufacturers has grown to six reflecting the size of he Market in a country that leads the Tea dunking world with an annual average of 1,355 cups per person our Law is thai the death Knell has Long tolled for the Tea ladies said Edward Wai sales and marketing director for Rob Oserve. If Wai is right a practice that began in the 17th Century will cease. According to the Tea Council a Trade group Britain s first Tea lady was a mrs. Harris who began serving Tea to directors of the East India trading company during meetings in 1666. The Council said it has no record of her first name. In the 1890s, the Council said the number of Tea ladies grew As companies hired women to serve executives heir Tea a task previously handled by secretaries. The transition from Tea ladies to dispensers can cause complications As one firm has Learned. Three years ago it let five Tea ladies go when it moved to a new building and introduced machines. It kept one Tea lady to serve the top partners and important meetings. The Tea ladies were getting old and past retirement said Brian Udell a director. It was an amicable arrangement. They went off happily but thing Haven t been the same since. The company had to install a new make of machines in december because the previous ones weren t reliable and the new machines Are already having problems. The firm also has to charge 5 Pence Fri cents a cup the old Tea was tree to prevent wastage. Then there a the spillage problem although the firm doas Supply trays. People Are inclined to take bulk  Udell explained. Last but not least Are the gripes from the 800 employees. People like being served Udell said. They Don t like getting up and gelling it Tor themselves in addition some people Don t Tike the Quality. Ii does t please everybody. Most people Don t Tike drinking out of plastic cups although most of us have gotten used to  the company is installing a sixth machine which dispenses beverages into your own cup. The machines which Are rented Are slightly cheaper than employing Tea ladies whose salaries Are estimated at $4,500 to $9,000 a year. Page 16 the stars and stripes Friday. March 20,1987