WAIKATO NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 196, 19 August 1899, Page 2

WAIKATO NOTES.

CO-OPERATION. On Thursday evening Mr Sam. Brown addressed a meeting of settler 3 at Ohaupo on the subject of Co-oper-ation, Very little notice of the meeting was given and there were only about a dozen settlers present. Mr Brown explained that the object of his visit was to endeavour to form a Cooperative Association. He wanted no billet for himself in the business, he was a farmer like themselves, and was paying his own expenses. He felt sure, he said, that co-operation would benefit consumer and producer alike, and pointed out numerous successful businesses of alike nature as illustrations. Mr Brown spoke for nearly an hour, and considerable interest was manifested in his remarks. At the conclusion of his address, he was requested to attend the meeting of the Ohaupo Branch of the Waikato Farmers' Club, to be held on Tuesday next. Mr Brown's real object in visiting the Waikato appears to be the disposal of shares in the Auckland Farmers' Cooperative Association. "PIEATES OF PENZANCE." Gilbert and Sullivan's opera, "The Pirates of Penzance," was most successfully staged by the Te Awamutu Amateurs on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Owing to the departure of Mr Long, some difficultywas experienced in finding a conductor; but eventually Mr J. H. Edwards of Cambridge undertook the. work, and the result attained must have been highly gratifying to himself and the Musical Society. The new piano recently purchased for the Town Hall was used for the first time; but it proved somewhat unsatisfactory, for although the tone was infinitely better than the old instrument, the pitch was nearly a semitone lower, with the consequence that the reed and brass instruments were a trifle out of tune. Mrs G. M. Ahier as "Mabel" was the life of the entertainment, and she was ably supported by Mr M. S. Laurie, who as without doubt Waikato's leading tenor, All the other characters which were taken as follows were admirably pourtrayed: —"Major General Stanley," Mr Gresham; "The Pirate S ng' I »M^ Graham Cruickshank; 'Samuel" (The Lieutenant), Mr A. H. Storey; -'Frederick" (The Pirate ApP™? 1?<0, Mr M. S. Laurie; "Sergeant ot Police, Mr Rigg; "Mabel" (General Stanley's Daughter), Mrs G. M A Ahier; "Edith» Miss Cruickshank;' Kate,' Miss S. Mandeno; "Isabel" Miss Kirkham; "Ruth" (A Pirate Maid-of-all-work), Miss Mitchell, me varied costumes were handsome and picturesque, the tableaux effective and striking, and the secenery which was specially painted for the occasion by the Rev. A. M. Brdbury, of Ngaruawahia, was most creditable to the rev .gentleman, who is a scenic artist of no mean order.

Central Mission- revival services will be held to-morrow at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.