"THE DIGGERS.

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 144, 16 December 1919, Page 11

"THE DIGGERS.

"The Diggers," late New Zealand Divisional Pierrots," can always be relied upon for a bright, attractive, and •sparkling entertainment. On making their reappearance before a large audience at the Grand. Opera House last evening, they showed that they had lost none of their versatility, and from an extensive repertoire presented an enter tainment which' was second to none for song and story. Mr. Stan Lawson, the charming "girl," as usual, proved the star attraction; his winsome smile, beautiful frocks, and coquettish way* must have been the envy of many a girl who witnessed his artistic performance. His J!??" 8- /^S-" 1' Thro' the Rye" and Khaki," were all that could be desired. In the humorous duet, Rhymes," and the burlesque "Hypnotic Seance," Mr. Stan Lawson as the lady and Mr. Tano Fama as the man made the fun fast and furious, and were rewarded with the heartiest applause. Messrs. Exton, Proctor, Perkins, and Simpson sang "Ilear Little Shamrock" with a blending of voices that was delightful to hear;, their- encore number, Loch Lomond," was equally effectively given. Messrs. F. Perkins, G. Proctor, Norman French, and G. Dawson scored heavily in popular songs, and Mr. G. P. Hanna still further improved his reputation as a very fine black and •white artist.- The recitation, "By the Yukon Trail," by Mr. Cyril Scohell, was a remarkably good effort. The entertainment concluded with a "potted reV,f'.'.!~_ llt£ l. ed ' rWha- t Next?" in which all Ihe Diggers" participated, keeping the audience rocking with laughter The 'girls" were specially good—the despair, indeed, not only of many of the men, -but of many of the ladies present. It was no wonder that they charmed at the front. "The Diggers" win appear again this evening.

_ In returning thanks for the appreciation expressed by the directors of the services of the.staff of the New Zealand Farmers Co-operative Distributing Company at the annual meeting, Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, general manager, briefly referred to the struggles of the concern during its early, years. For seventeen years he had- been connected with it, and the original capital had largely been lost before the turning point came, when the company entered into the wool trade. Since then they had made rapid progress. No,one had ever been successful without creating jealousy. He warned the shareholders to watch for any attempt which might be made to create dissension among, the ranks of the farmers, by those who wished to see the co-operative movement wrecked. In America the Meat Trust had shown how unscrupulous they can be, and here i» a smaller degree similar methods would be tried. Other co-operative managers had similar difficulties; in fact, it was the general experience of the co-operative movement. He wished to impress upon the shareholders the necessity of watching for any such insidious methods, such as trying to create dissension amongst those who were trying to push forward the great co-operative movement.