People s Day At The Show

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31837, 15 November 1968, Page 10

People s Day At The Show

For most city youngsters. People’s Day at the show conjures up visions of “sideshow alley”, merry-go-rounds, balloons, and candy floss. When the pocket money has run out will be time enough to see what is happening in the show ring, or to cast an unaccustomed eye over the vast array of livestock on display. Even in Christchurch, originally and still a market town, People’s Day is for some the only point of contact between town and country. Slight though it may be, this annual opportunity for young townspeople to get a glimpse of farming is important. Their elders can usually find something directly related to their own occupation or livelihood. The car mechanic knows more than most farmers about tractor engines: the carpet factory worker can discuss wool types intelligently: the grocer knows whether more people eat oats than wheat in their breakfast cereals. Even the least perceptive citydweller can scarcely spend a day at the show without gaining some realisation of how his own livelihood is affected by the wellbeing of farming. This interdependence is not confined to the citydwellers: a glance at the displays of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lincoln College, the woolbrokers, and other commercial firms represented at the show should convince farmers of this. Happily, this year’s show coincides with returning prosperity on the land and recovering business confidence in the cities: People’s Day at the Canterbury A. and P. Show takes on a new significance this year.