Entries For Ploughing

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31208, 4 November 1966, Page 21

Entries For Ploughing

About 14 countries had confirmed that they would enter next year’s world ploughing contest to be held in the Prebbleton-Broadfield district, the chairman, Mr E. A. E. Fairhall, said at a meeting of the organising committee for the match. Entries have not yet closed. Mr Fairhall read to the meeting excerpts from a report of a recent meeting of the World Ploughing Organisation in Holland. It said that entries had been confirmed from: Finland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Rhodesia, the United States, Britain, Eire, Australia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, and New Zealand.

Mr A. Hall, the general secretary of the World Ploughing Organisation, had recently visited India, the report said. The ploughing organisation there was now financially secure and had intimated its intention of applying to enter competitors in the New Zealand contest. Financial Problem

The organisation received a report that Denmark had a problem with travel costs. There was a financial problem in Norway also but it was hoped that Norway would announce an entry soon. The report said it had ap-

peared that France, Austria and Germany would not send competitors and that Canada was doubtful. There was a slight possibility of a change in mind.

After the meeting the Netherlands Ploughing Committee announced that it would send two ploughmen, a team manager and the board member of the World Ploughing Organisation. Mr Fairhall said he had had advice from Northern Ireland that it would send one competitor and if it could find another sponsor, a second man. Irrigation The chairman of the grounds committee, Mr A. L. Coleman, said that the well sinker had arrived on the match site last week. An Sin bore would be sunk for irriga-

tion. It would be necessary to irrigate the grassland area for the contest, even in May, to ensure that it was in a favourable condition down to six inches. Mr D. J. Stewart said he would not like to see competitors in the 1967 New Zealand championships, held on the day before the world match have to plough in a dry area in rather stiffer soil conditions. Provision should be made for watering this area too.

The secretary and chairman of the publicity committee, Mr C. N. Todd, said that it was planned to produce a prestige handbook of about 200 pages in conjunction with the world contest. This would be for world distribution. “We already have half the cost of it covered,” he reported.