THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, APRIL 25, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3844, 25 April 1881, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, APRIL 25, 1881.

Of all the cheeky pieces of bounce it was ever our lot to I ear of is the action laid by two bookmakers named Drako and Snider against the owners of a totalisator, on the pjround that it is illegal. We have ho doubt but that the use of the " betting machine " is contrary to statute, but we may state it is from a public point of view infinitely preferable to dealing with the depraved wretches who have for years made use of the noble pas'lime of horse racing to swindle the public. The disclosures made of late show the length to which these creatures will go, most of them being quite devoid of all manly principle. can see that the increase of the use of the totulisator on race courses will eventually drive these rogues and vagabonds to seek other employment, arid we trust that during the ensuing session of Parliament pressure will be brought to bear on the Government to have the totalisntoc legalised. If betting is an evil that we cannot get rid of, let us do all we can to ensure honesty, and this the totalieator will effect. These bookmaking scoundrels have ruled the roost long enough. We wonder if Messrs Drake and Snider, when they initiated the proceedings at Ch istchurou, referred to in y our telegrama to-day, ever thought that their action was one of the gr atiest arguments that could be used in favor of the totalisator. In the w rds of a contemporary, " what the bookmakers dislike'so much cannot be a very bad thing for the public."

Had a thunderbolt fallen in the midßt of our mining community it would not have occasioned more'surprise than did the announcement of the reduction of the miners' wages on Saturday. The men are very sore about it» and we consider the action of the directors of the Moanafcairi and Kuranui Hill mines illadvised. In the Moanatairi the reduotion will effect a saving of £500 per annum, or about 9d per share. Now if the bauds in the mine determined to give the shareholder^ work commensurate with the wages they are receiving, we feel sure that £500 per annum would be a mere bagatelle to the loss they would sustain. Many may be inclined to favor the depreciation of the value of labor, but the minera are scarcely the first who should be docked. Their occupation may fairly be classed as skilled labor, and in addition to being dangerous, statistics show that the average life of a miner is ten years shorter than the generality of occupations. We have no doubfc that other mines will follow the enraple of the Moanataiuri and Kuranui Hill, and can forsee that the result will be.the miners banding themselves together on the trade union principle.

Messhs Brodie, Brown, and Potter, members of the County Council, accompanied by the Engineer, proceeded to Ohinemuri this afternoon for the purpose of attending to road works in that district. ME9SES Thompson and Sinclair are making rapid progress with the new Roman Catholic Church at Paeroa. The dimensions of the building are 60 x 25. "*. The time for receiving tenders for the County Works has been extended till noon of Friday'the 29 th inst. A OBICKBT match between the boys of the Kauaeraoga Boys' School and those atteuding the-Thames High School took . place on Saturday, and resulted in an easy victory for Kauaeranga by 10 wickets and one run. Despite the. overdose of volunteering given by the Waikato Campaign there was a good muster of the Thames" Naval Brigade and St. George's Naval Cadets at Church parade yesterday. The Rev. V. Lush preached an effective and nppropi'iate sermon. In the hands of Messrs Farrell Bros, and Mr Lymburn, decorator, Mr T. Woods' new shojp in Brown street, late Wallers', is assuming a very munh improved appearance. When the work is finished the sbop will bo completely renovated. As many people are 1 enquiring for Mr G, Brown, Mr Wood has informed us that lie intends lecturing tit the Thames uguiu next mouth.

The anniversary services in connection with theTararu Wesleyau Sunday school passed off very successfully. •

A cokbespondent of an Auckland contemporary camplains of the catapult nuisance aaying that a valuable dog had lost its eight by means of a projectile from one of these instruments in the hands of a heartless urchin. We have noticed that the Thames boys are beginning to show a pronenesa to indulge in the use of the same plaything, and we trust the police will put it down. Speaking of catapults remind us of an instance that occured some years ago in one of the schools in this province. One of the masters had been struck on the leg wibh a pebble, and every boy in the school was forced to disgorge hia weapon, the result being the confiscation of 183 catapults.

Despite the unending cry of " hard times," business here cannot be so dull as people suppose, indeed, we never remember ao enterprising a spirit manifested by business people in our midst as has been noticeable during the past few months. Two manufactories have started—one for the manufacture of hematite, and the other for chair making—and the fruit preserving industry has expanded to an appreciable degree. Several tradesmen have seen fit to extend their businesses, notably Messrs M. J. Wilkes, McLiver, and Wood. Mr Wilkes has now two watchmakers' shops, both well stocked, in different parts of the borough. Mr McLiver has recently started a branch at Te Aroha, and will shortly open another in Shortland, while Mr Wood will soon have two establishments flying his colours. Trade cannot be so rery dull after this.

We have had much pleasure in viewing a clever water colour sketch of the Easter Encampment of the Volunteers at Te Awatnutu, by a young local artist, who belongs to the* Thames Scottish corps, Mr Albert G-eorge Allom. 'i he drawing has been purchased by Mr Symington, of the Bowen Hotel. This young gentleman, who has but recently returned from England, after five years sojourn there, evidently possesses talents as an artist which are worthy "of culiivation and of our remarks. It seems that these talents are hereditary, inasmuch as we find that his grandfather, the late Mr Thomas Allom, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, was in years gone by a noted water colour artist. His illustrated works, published by Messrs Virtue and Co., of Paternoster Row, and Messrs Fisher, Son, and Co., of Newgate street, notably thoso illustrating England and Scotland, Franco, Belgium, Asia Minor, and Constantinople, in the form of highly finished steel engravings, were to be found on every drawing room table

throughout civilized Europe, as well as in other parts of the world. In reference to his last illustrated work on China in the year 1843, we read (hat " Having dwelt in the 'land of the cyprees and myrtle/ Mr Allom's talents were fully matured for the faithful delineation of Oriental scenery; and in many instances, he has so successfully pictured forth tha subject to be illustrated, as to secure a signal triumph for the pencil over the pen. The exercise of his cultivated mind, however, being DOW dedicated to architecture, professional ambition must necessarily limit his subsequent labouis in this branch of the arts. It is "probable, therefore, that his purely pictorial productions will henceforth only be found in the publications of the Messrs Fisher,-under ■whose auspices that avenue was first opened, along which he passed, with more than common celerity, to the very general applause he bo deservedly enjoys." To Mr Thomas Allom's renc;l, during the years 1840 to 1845, the New Zealand Company owed much of its success, and this colony much of its popularity as a field for emigration. Later, as an architect, Mr Allom achieved the great success of carrying off the prize in competition with the architects of Great Britain— upwards of' two hundred in nutnbei I—for1 —for the best design for the now celebrated bui!ding, St. George's Hall, Liverpool. One of hia sons, beiore the age of twenty-one, was the winner of the gold medal of the Royal Academy in architecture, and now wo note with satisfaction that we have here, at the ot v er end of the world, a worthy chip of be old block iv his grandson. The following is the S.tate of Sick at. the Thames Goldfield Hospital from 17th to 23rd April, 1881:— Statistical Nosology— Zymotic Diseases—remained 3, discharged 1, remaining 1; Constitutional —remained 3, discharged If remaining 2; Local—remained 7, admitted 1, remaining 8; Violent—remained 5, discharged 1, remaining 4i. —Total—

remained 17, admitted 1, discharged 3, remaining 15. Out-Ptttientß, 38. —Thomas Aitj£en, Dispeneer.