Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1927. THE WINTER SHOW.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVIII, Issue 10944, 16 June 1927, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1927. THE WINTER SHOW.

Though primarily the) Agricultural and Pastoral Association's show is a farmers' fixture, the Ashburton Winter Show is happily one in which country and town dwellers can claim an equal interest, for .the sections of which it is comprised are in the main capable of being filled by exhibitors from either portion of the community. It is in this respect that the show deserves'the active support of the public, in the matter of both exhibition and attendance, for anything that tends to bring country and town into closer relation beyond the mere transaction of business is of advantage not only to the district but' al&o to the whole Dominion. Time was when there existed between farmer and town dweller a sharp line of demarcation in their views on political and social matters, each holding, that what benefited the other must necessarily be prejudicial to himself. . To those who remember such a time, nothing isi more reniarkable or more gratifying than the manner in which the town now thinks in terms of the country and vice versa. But even so, there are still some lingering remnants of cross purposes to be removed, and one of the agents 1 that will do much toward the desired end is the holding of such shows as that to be held to-morrow and Saturday. So far as entries! are concerned, this year's total shows only a slight, almost neglible, decrease on those of 1926. The difference is more than accounted for by the drop in the roots and produce section, in which there are 129 exhibits entered as against 190. This may be fairly attributed to the effect the long spell of dry weather had upon all kinds of garden and field produce, for the man who could boast of any worthy of the show bench was indeed fortunate, and though of course the standard of competition may be expected to be somewhat lower, there are many growers who would sooner be absentees from the catalogue than display anything but first class exhibits. the society is experiencing a difficult period, from causes that are too well known to need recapitulation, but it is to be hoped that public support will be forthcoming in such degree that it will enter upon a new lease of life. The. Winter Show is not a rival to the Spring Show but a complement of it, and there are in this district sufficient resources to ensure that the fixture should be fully representative of town and country.