The Canterbury A. and P. Show

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21941, 16 November 1936, Page 8

The Canterbury A. and P. Show

Having completed another very successful show, the Canterbury, Agricultural and Pastoral Association can-with some reason congratulate itself. But since there is a risk of success breeding dangerous complacency it may be as well for the association to indulge at the same time in a little healthy self-criticism and to try to make such improvements in its programme, arrangements, and facilities as will make memorable next year’s show—the seventy-fifth in the history of the association. It is perhaps not always easy for members of an association, and particularly of its officers, to detect faults in their own organisation; nor is it easy for the person outside the association to assess the difficulties which make desired improvements hard to attain. But there are improvements that should be made in the organisation and facilities at the show if it is to continue to hold the undoubted popularity that it enjoys. It is necessary to mention only a few that are observable, by the casual visitor to make it plain that there are shortcomings that should be dealt with as early as possible. No one, for instance, who was one of the crowd that swarmed daily over the dusty main roadway through the grounds could help wondering why the association has not yet found it po.sible to tar-seal this thoroughfare or lay it in bitumen. Nor could the visitor who paid entrance money to one of the stands, only to find that no seating accommodation was available, feel satisfied that he had received value for his money. Indeed, the thought might well have occurred to him on viewing the main stand during the grand parade, packed with people even on the stairways leading to the seats, that here were all the elements for a first-class tragedy if a fire were to break out in the kitchen underneath the stand. And as for the dining accommodation, anyone noticing the jostling and shoving crowds seeking entrance to the dining room between noon and 2 p.m, might find the scene unpleasantly reminiscent of meal time in the new concrete building on the other side of the grounds. And then the ring events — these are perennially popular, which is the more remarkable in that there has been very little change or variety introduced in the programme over many years. Here undoubtedly is scope for some imagination, originality, or even imitation —a high jump and a water jump, for instance—which would lend variety to a performance that sometimes tends to be uninspiring. And with plenty of electricity available there seems to be no reason why ring events at night should not draw large attendances as they do to the Royal Sydney and Royal Melbourne shows. The association has now provided excellent accommodation for the animal exhibits; it might well now concentrate some attention on the provision of better facilities for the public on whose support it depends. A final word may be said about motor-cars. The problem arising from allowing a great number of cars to park on

the grounds has now become acute. It would be a pity to prevent families from making a picnic day of their visit to the show by enjoying open-air meals in the parking areas, but these have now become so congested that it is a question whether some restriction should not be imposed on the number of cars permitted to enter the grounds, either by charging a greater entrance fee or confining the privilege to members of the association. If the association is to continue to make headway and to reflect the progressive spirit that inspired its founders, some at least of the criticisms we have made will have to be met within a measurably short time.