WAIMOUAITI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2396, 1 February 1900, Page 38

WAIMOUAITI.

January 22. — A meeting of the subscribers to the Public Library was. held in the club room, very few being present. The treasurer reported a balance m hand of £5 5s sd. Mr Smith was elected chairman for the ensuing year ; Canon Lucas aud Messrs Davis, Mudge, Burton, and Kelly being elected as committee ; and Mr Kerr lion. &cc. and tieasurer. It is a great pity that moie interest is .not taken m the woik of this institution, it being almost impossible to get enough, members to attend to carry on the business. As a matter of fact, this meeting had to be adjourned more than once because not enough members were present to form a quorum. Cricket. — A scratch match was played by the local boys on Saturday against a mixed team from the Dunedin Cricket Club. The time being very limited, only one innings each was played, the bowling of the visitors being too good for the local boys. The match ended in a win for Dunedin by 70 runs against 41. Wilkie and Mackersay played up with the Waikouaiti wickets, Bradley and Wilson returning the compliment on behulf of the home team. Wilkie, Stalker, ancl Wilson each scoied double figuiea for the visitors, Bradley only being successful m doing so for the home team. The teams were captained by Skitch (Dunedin) and Mallocli (Waikouaiti;. Januaiy 29. — The weather is still very far from ideal, for this time of the ye?r. We have had a good deal of rain since I last wrote, and the ground is not quite so dry, but we badly want sunshine, rather than the wind we are getting. Harvest will be late this year, and the birds are making a terrible mess of the early grain. Some persons are cutting small lot 3 of oats to save them from the birds. A wellknown farmer told me the other day that to settle the question whether goldies eat oats or not, he shot some and found their crops unmistakably full of the grain. I was sorry to hear this, as I always looked upon the goldies as a species of farmers' friends rather than enemies. The labbits are showing up again in numbers, but it is quite a moot point now whether they are the unmitigated evil which the law supposes them to be. Trapping will soon be started now, ancl in some of the back blocks a bit of poisoning is going on. The crops are all in ear, ancl are well headed, and I don't thmk I ever saw the turnips look as well. The high winds have destroyed some of the fruit, but still there is a very good show, although tli3 want of sun is very much against its prope>- development.

Patriotic. — The local patriotic committee were to have had a meeting Isst week, but for some reason or othci the meeting lapsed. It is nov intended to call a public meeting at an early date to settle up and close the local account.

Amnsomc-nls. — Wediie~lay 'ast was chosen by the managers of the Si. John's (Anglican) Sunday School for their annual picnic, to be held on the beach. A large number of cluldien and friends turned tin, only to be driven away agaip almost immediately by the exceedingly heavy ram which fell. Many went home and j.-efu=ed to turn out a&am, but a good number adjourned to the Sunday schoolroom, wheie various games and competitions were indulged in during the afternoon. On the Fame clay, our local Cricket Club sent a team to town to play a return match with the Dune Jin Club, but owing to the raili the mutch could not be played.

Stecle-Payne Combination.— ln the evenim we had a very enjoyable time with this talente.t troupe. No doubt the wet evening interfiled with the attendance which ustvilly gleets them here, as the hall was very sparely fi''od. Ttom succeeded item through the evening without any b->eak, amidst thunderous applause from the audience. In every number the roinwany hnd to lespoad to an encore until the fhst part \va3 finished, but during the second part the lpcr-

formers quietly ignqred the recalls, or E am afraid they would have "been at it yet. When such a good programme is carried oxit, it is almost impossible to pick oufc any single item, although I might mention Miss Payne's violin solo-encore piece, '' We won' l go home till morning." It was perfectly realistic and compelled roars of laughter fiom the audience. Might I presume, however, to criticisa the playing of the accompaniments? Why on. earth should a pia'iist imagine that the audience wishes to hear only the piano during a, song? aud why should the interlude between the verses of a song be ground out by the cubic yard, instead of being, as I think it ought to bs, the echo of the air? No doubt amateurs at times want a little steadying; but pros, like the Payne Company are fit to sing without being drowned by a "forte." Piano players often forget the nan?e of the instrument, and swamp the piano in the forte. Miss Kata Maher's beautiful voice was heard to great dis-advantage in " I trust you still," and her enunciation in this song was unbearable, ancl in mirked contrast to her encore number -immediately following — " The little gee-gee-gee " — in which every word was clear, distinct, and perfect. Amongst the audience I noticed Mr Black, lather oi tne ever-popular Black Family, who are now touring around. In renewing my acquaintance with Mr Black after the concert was over, I learnt that his troupe will be here shortly, when I can promise my readers a treat equal to that so heartily enjoyed by us on Wednesday last.

Vale. — As this is, for the present, my last contribution of Waikouaiti news to your columns for a few weeks, I must wish my readers good-bye for the present, expressing a hope that I may be able to keep in touch with, them from "another place" for a little while, after which I hope to resume the title of — Your Own Waikouaiti Correspondent.