THE PAIAKA HEMP-MILL ENTERTAINMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume VII, Issue 260, 16 April 1889, Page 2

THE PAIAKA HEMP-MILL ENTERTAINMENT.

Last Saturday night witnessed the inauguration of one ox the wisest steps yet adopted, in this district, by an employer of labour, to retain good hands about him. "We have recorded previously, that Mr Gardner was doing his best to make the employees of his mill happy and comfortable, by offering inducements to the hands to amuse themselves of an evening. One step in this direction was taken, by giving a number of books to initiate a library, towards the increase of which, the employees contribute three pence a week each. A short time ago Mr Gardner sent up to thehouse by the mill, a very nice piano, to 'which the musical had access. By so doing it was discovered that many of the yonng men had capital voices, which only required training and practice to be fairly developed. I lose to the house there happens to be a large building, tbe old flour mill of thirty years ago, but now in use as a woolshed. The piano and surroundings suggested Saturday night's performance, and for the past three weeks, two to three hours a night have been given to the practice of solos, duets, and choruses' At last the hands determined to invite the public to pay th m a visit, and they issued invitations by letter and by advertisement, and they should feel gratified at the manner their invitations were accepted, as the room was very well filled, with an audience of some eighty persons, who had come from Foxton, Moutoa, Welington, and the regions lying round about the mill. The Hall was very tastefuly decorated, a neat little stage having been erected at one end, fitted with a row of footlights, and the proscenium being composed of bowers of green work, in which flax in its native and dressed state, Toi Toi, ferns, &c. appeared conspicuous. The front of the stage had also a band of white on which the words "We welcome you one and all to Piaka " was neatly painted. The | remainder of the hall was decorated with piTars of flax and fern and cabbage trees, and the roof was j covered with the long tree ferns. There were bunches and designs in .white toi toi flowers, with bands of red berry of the wild briar tastefully looped upon them. The whole effect was remarkably pretty and reflects great credit on the part of the designer and also was as great a compnment as could be paid to the visitors, as it showed that no trouble had been spared to make them heartily welcome. THE CONCERT. The first part opened to the usual nigger troupe of "thirteen performers Mr Shuttleworth being the pianist, Mr John Hastings " Bones " Mr Fred Bill "Tambo," and Mr John Henderson the '• interlocutor." The company gave *' Sweet dream* land faceB ;> which went very smoothly for the first piece. ** I dreamt my little boy of thee " was very nicely sung by Mr Reid, and Mr Fred Bjli then gave a comic song " She laughed behind her fan.'' Mr Chitty sung " Sailing " very well, and the catching air of the chorus infused more life into the whole of the company. Mr Langley who under the disadvantage of sitting out of sight of all the audienoe, sang "In the rornfield" very quietly but very prettily. It would have benn better for those who were sitting further back, if it had been given with more power. Mr HastI ings gave u-pi dee, but the words are hardly worth the singing, and we should have liked to have he>rd a better song from him '< Take me home," by Mr Beauchamp, was rendered remarkably well. The Company then gave a Medley chorus, each member singing h nonsense verse. Mr D. Gardner gave " The old home ain't what it used to be " and the chorus by the company went well. "Poor little Joe >f with another catching air was well sung by both the soloist and company. Another comic song by Mr Bill " I wish I was single again " took the audience's fancy. Mr Oswald Gardner dang '• T amp, Tramp, Tramp " very nicely indeed, and the singer possesses a capital voice, which should be more practised with. "The trumpet sounds " was another song, well sung, by Mr H< n 'ereon. This closed the first part. At intervals the corner men went through the usual business and asked riddles which demand our re spect if only owing to their " hoar}' antiquity," but we wouid suggest at any future entertainment, that thit* , busines be much cu< tailed, as it was , the only flat part of the whole evening. There was far too much gagging," going so far as to cause the , " gagger " to forget at times from whence he had started.

j Mr Gardner took the chair for the h'6ttbjid part, and mentioned how. pleadtett! they were a'l to see so many present. It had been bruited abroad that an entertainment given at a flaxmill was sure- to be low and ■ rowdy, but that in aancti'.oning the ! holding of the same, he felt quite sure" that flax mill hands wet c quite as able to oehav.© respectably as any other number of men. and he believed this evening had shown that to be so. (Applause.) Mr Reid sang " Go to sleep baby " very well indeed, and elicited, a not to be denied encore Mr Biff then, gave a very clever vocal imitatfioni of a cross cut and rip saw, and tih&. smoothing plane. The imitation was wonderfully true and clever. Mr Shuttleworth gave "Kissing" very nicey. The next song "The old | log cabin in the dell" was given hy Mr Henderson, in character, and waa very gaod. Mr Mackie's song was » Highland tfKns;, which he danced as well as we have ever seen it danced, the steps being given accurately and lightly. Mr Gardner gave a short recitation, clearly and with much feeling and it met with well deserved applause. The • ' Larboard "Watch ". duet by Messrs Eeid and Henderson,, was another item on the programmethat was particularly welt rendered, and as far as we are to be trusted, we have not heard it better sung by amateurs. Mr Mackie's oth&r song; was a recitation, "The fireman's, wedding " and it met with a most hearty approval, which compelled a. part repetition. " The tarpaulin jacket" was sung by Mr Shuttleworth under disadvantageous circircumstances, as he had to accompany himself on the piano, and was therefore far back from the audience and sideways on, the most of the sound went in a contrary direction. "We hardly heard above a few words. Mr Bill gave imitations of various sized pigs, which was amusing, but one cannot say pretty. TttE THIED PART consisted of a farce entitled " TicMe me, oh tickle me," and caused mucl* fun by the really good but quiet acting of the four performers. Mr Thynne on behalf o the audience thanked Mr Gardner and the performers for the pleasant evening they had passed. Eeferring to Mr Gardner's remarks on the supposed impossibility of flax mill hands being able to give a decent entertainment, he said that that night had settled the question most undoubtedly in the affirmative, but he> also desired to call attention to the audience also. It had been, remarked that in Foxton and Palmerston, the larrikin element made attendance at any public amusement a misery, but that during the evening there had not been heard a yell, or whistling through fingers, or any noi^e whatever, in fact he had not eefen ft quieter audience for many a long day. Mr Gardner briefly returned thanks, and after the company had sung God save the Queen "' the audience left. We may mention that during th» interval between the first and second parts, the audience were surprised by a visit from a number of willing waiters who handed round hot coffee and cocoai biscuits, sandwiches, cake, jam tarts, pears, bananas &c , to one and all. Mr Connell deserves more than a word of praise, as he has acted as the moulding spirit, being stag* manager, artist, and seoretary. At some labour he prepared a number of written copies of the programme - which he carefully distributed to the visitors as they arrived. The Con-' cert at Paiaka on the 13th April 1889 will long be handed down as one that was well devised, well executed, and well enjoyed.