Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1921. THE WINTER SHOW.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9544, 24 June 1921, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1921. THE WINTER SHOW.

vised. Moreover the field is open and ready for occupation. Apart Vom Dunedin there is no Winter Show of first-class importance m the South Island. The Ashburton Society has the opportunity to create for itself and the town the premier fixture of this class m the province. The steps to the realisation of this proposal need not be taken at a bound, but one by one, while, at the same time, increasing the strength and organisation of the Society. To achieve with the other classes what has already been accomplished m the poultry section — that is, to secure strong outside competition— should not be a very difficult step. The restoration to the schedule of the fat stock section would at once put the exhibition m the position of attracting wider attention and no reason exists why this class should not at once leap into provincial favour. ' So the Ashburton Winter Show might advance to a foremost position m Canterbury even as centres outside the cities like Palmerston North and Hamilton have taken premier place m " their respective , provinces. The Agricultural and Pastoral Associations, of Canterbury have occupied spring, summer and autumn with their programmes. The winter remains as an obvious gap, to be filled. Ashburton is presented the opportunity of occupying it and the Society's present organisation gives a long start towards greater things. The obvious difficulty lies m. housing such an exhibition, but "necessity is the mother of invention." We hope the Society may realise its opportunity and seize it. Meanwhile its rate of progress is more than gratifying. .

The progress made by the Ashbmton Winter Show m recent years is the direct result of ! the energy and perseverance of j the officials of the Ashburton I Poultry, Pigeon, and Canary Society. Never content to stand still, but always widening its scope and improving its schedule, the society has met increasingly with the success it deserves. To go back only three years, we find that judged on entries, the Show is 40 per cent, larger to-day than m 1918. Appraised according to quality, it will be found that the standard of exhibits has im- | proved greatly, even if it would bo impossible to claim that the improvement was m the same ratio as that for numbers. That so .small a body, comparatively, should year by year organise and carry to greater success so important an undertaking suggests that even a more ambitious programme would be crowned with success. .No one will deny that the .scope of this annual fixture could be greatly widened so as to make it a Winter Show comparable with that held at Dunedin and at several North Island centres. The increasing prosperity of the present undertaking leads to the conclusion that such an axtension would not be ill-ad- j