THE SHOW

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 10, 24 October 1935, Page 4

THE SHOW

PREPARING FOR NOVEMBER 7.

VAST AMOUNT OF DETAILED WORK.

AX EFFICIENT ORGANISATION. r-' l There iu'o few people who attend an agricultural and pastoral show of any magnitude, especially such a show as the Ashhburton Show, who have any idea of the vast amount of work entailed in preparing for it and making all the arrangements. The work begins months before the show date, in fact, the work is unceasing, and extends from one show to another without any real break. But months before the show date the busy time begins in earnest. There are many committee meetings to be held, the schedule to bo drawn up, judges to be appointed, special prizes and trophies allotted to sections which it is desired particularly to encourage. The judges have ail to be written to, and when the Jii-st of acceptances for the positions is complete, the schedules are printed and dispatched to breeders and likely exhibitors all oyer Canterbury. Then the necessary publicity campaign has to be started, and the public kept constantly reminded of the closing date of entries, etc. These entries are made out. on forms appropriate to each section, the livo stock forms including spaces for breed, breeders’ names, pedigree, etc.,An many cases, and other particulars. All of these details have afterwards to be tabulated for publication in the show catalogues, to do this each entry form has to be dissected and the ' entries put in their proper classes. In addition, arrangements have to be made, where required, for special stock trains from outside districts, for the receiving and accommodation of exhibits, and before this can be done information must be obtained from exhibitors as to how their stock is being sent, and how it is to be returned. The accommodation of stock • on the showground, the erection of pens for dogs and poultry, of divisions in the produce hall for the accommodation, of stallholders, the allocation of space for trade exhibits and sideshows, the setting apart of parking areas for motor cars for members and the general public respectively, the setting up of obstacles in competitions ring for the various competitions, and many other details.

Then, and by no means the least important, comes the penning of the whole of the exhibits on the day of the show. This has to be done very quickly, and yet with the utmost accuracy. For this work many stewards are appointed to supervise the penning and subsequently the judging. Without these honorary officials to whom the task must be a labour of love, the shows could not possibly lie organised as they are. As soon as the show is over, the work of assembling the exhibits and dispatching them quickly to their various destinations commences. Then there are all sorts- of transport arrangements to be made to transport-the public to and from the ground, on show day. There are certificates to be made out in readiness for the .return of stock by train, etc., for which concessions are allowed upon production of these certificates. Thero arc many other details to be attended to, but enough has been written to show tire enormous amount of. work entailed by the show, and the need for a wonderfully efficient organisation if everything is to work smoothly. These details too, should serve to show how very requisite it is that exhibitors should promptly supply the fullest information.