BUSH DISTRICTS SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 4

BUSH DISTRICTS SHOW.

\RRANGEMENTS FOR TO-DAY'S . OPENING. HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATION. , r v;.■ • (rfioir ouu srrcUL cosnEsroNDr.sT.)■ .- .. f ■ Woodvillc, February ;20. Tho. sixteenth annuJil show, of' the -liusl: : Districts A: and P. Assdoiation. will bo licit , / to-morrow •on the Racccourso, in what pro r. misos to bo. dull and cloudy weather.. En- ' • .trios are not so numerous as, m tho previous v. ;- -year, tho vcauso being a particularly bati season, and tho fact that tho show, loses in :v.-fv.- importance•. through coming .after that- ol Masterton. •av. 7 : The total entries'are 747, made up as fol- ' * loTl"Competitions,- 90; horseß,. 115; cattle, - .77; shcop, 173; pigs, 30;; dogs; 32; poultry, .38 y produce, 33school work, 139; vehicles !••• and implements, 50. - i THE EXHIBITS. In the,stock exhibits, tho largest classes , are m.haiks and harness, classes; dairy, cattle : . (which -is the :largest; stock sectio^;;in the . show), and Lincoln and Marsh • l/^'sheep.-' The v Southdown,: . English, and Border Leicester sections - aro fairly well filled.. Therms not a largo number of entries . m pigs Competitions and nil" 1 • .oveute aro\ feature of tho show! 1 Industrial h- . : exhibit's-suffer from lack of competition. Possibly the most interesting exhibit: from • a . local point of view, is tho school-work-, by tho ■:j; jr.. children frop tho Sta,W schoolsm. the dis,r, ;tnct:The entries compriso freehand draw,s; . • lng,. brush-work,writing,: and mapping. | PRINCIPAL EXHIBITORS . The following are the principal, oxhibitors: ■ Messrs. H. Gaisford, .horses-:and sheep; C. a.- ' Woodier, Avrshires; -P. Hunter, Jorsovs ;• P. J. Quirke, Ayrshiros, / Jerseys, ■ and dairy cattle ;• S.-R-.:Lancaster, Jerseys, English Leicesters, ■■ Southdowns,,-and; dairy -cattlo; ■ J.' - B. Vealo, dairy cattle ; A., Harding, Lmcolns, English Leicesters;: and'jßomnoy.-iMaTali jvAi V.. Collins, Romney. -Marsh; R. E. Beattio, .. Lmcolns; Slack Bros.; Border and' English . . ■ Leicesters and pics;-:P. Nielsen,<Border-Lei--cestersj'W. H. 15uick, Romney/Marsh ;•!!/, and R. Charmley, pigs ;<vM; 'Madely, ;. C. ' Reeve, and i 'fe.: Hutchmcs, ■'Jwulti'y: -Messrs. ' Williams ..?and</'Kettle.' aro • • the ' principal • .exhibitors, 'in, industrial exhibits, : while, in- school-work' the competitors aro . drawn from: .the .following: schools:—AVoodfille, Mokairo, ■ Kumcroa, Papatawa,, Bal--lance, Woodlands Iload, Heretaunga, Dan- , nevirko South, ■ and-Palmerston. North.v< In ... the competitions the entries include Corroboree, Dick ' Turpm,- -Hikurangi, * Lord Ullin, Commodore, Midnight, and The Vagrant., i THE JUDGES Following are the judges:— ■v - Mi;. D. G.; Riddiford, Marton, thoroughbreds arid hacks, v.!- - i , ; ■i-Mr. A:-R-eid, Hastings, ponies and■ light horses ( , :Mr. = H.'. N. - Watson, spring trap and draughts Messrs.'. Riddiford: and Reid, competitions. : Mr. T. H. Potts, Waipukurau, .Shorthorn and fat cattle. ■■• . Mr. J. -Kyle, Pnlmorston .North, dairy cattlo , Mr. W. Campbell, Havelock North, Lincoln": \and cross-bred.i !. v..i,-r ■i Mr.; I. Sykes, Wellington, Romney and . . Leicester. -, •• • -. ••• /Mr. ;J. Strang, Wairarapa, Downs and' fat: sheep , Mr. -M'Quillan, Hastings, pigs. , ' . Mr. J. Jarvis, Rongotea, poultry. ' V'-tF ~ Mr. D. Waitahora, dogs. - tMessrs. J.,-A. Nash and W. P: Hartstone, produce :Mr. R. H. BillSns, Palmerston^.-.-North}',' gchool nork i ' , SOME HISTORY. ' , ; .The Woodvillc, A.t and P; SocictT-,was,first, j.:formed at a - meeting .held; nr. the.Woodvillo« Schoolroom on Maich 9f Mi W ,i : Carlisle occupied . the • chair,iand : ;thoro-rwer() ; .' ~. also C.-' J;,,Campbell, 1 G.-H.' Collie, :C.' Nensen, : J.- rM'Donald,.' Hall, fR. ■ H. :,Bhode3, ;M; i:Kayser,' / J/' Sowry, C. Dnscoll, D.;'M'Kibbin,- J.-Murray/' D Home, G Hall, W Hallidiy. J Chalwl new,']uiij, M. Tansy,,N: , lor, S. and J. Hut-chins, .W.' J. Reevc, E." A.' t Haggcn, G Moore,' A Peebles, R D ■ Knight, and .J. A. - Morton.- «/Theso , gentle- \ Men became "the firstNOommittce,-'-fwitli/Mr. ; ~C. 'Hall as. secretary,^but .thq-first annual, :iv show, which: was a spring, show, was not heldtiJl the year 1892,-. whea-thero,'.were some ;272. entries; -. 1 The first:;president'-of-'. tho so- , , flety was Air W W Carlisle, Mr S -Bolton .was • vice-president, • and ; Mr.' J: Troup; •'treasurer j . Previous to.the.first show,'which hold- : on the Woodville Racccourse,. • tho society ... inaugurated a ram and, owe fair, .which was : discontinued after -about, two- years.; "Fromvv the . records:yfurnislied,'' r it ;appea¥s;:, : that,'-,the,- . , ehows hold during tho ■ first, tow ■ years were. . . .eminently successfjll,- tho society .at ono time „ (1894) having a crodit balance of £150, which was plaocd ,ini the • Bank on fixed deposit. • There-was no (show held in-, 1897, owing to: ••.%the>fact;that' 'charigb' • the period from ' tho. Spring 'to tho autumn.' In the earlier years, when-'the; society, was • having,the usual struggle, it was ; well supported by the townspeople of ;Woodvillo and ■ Pafciatua, / ' their help was much appreciated At ono timo there was, some doubt as to: v : whether the Show.' Would: roally bo' able to •v-sariy. on, but, with tho."same'bull-dog tejiscitjr. which ' has characterised similar assoNations tho Society' persovored; in its efforts, ' and'-the r annnal. report' submitted, at■ . tho ~ meeting on Mav 18; 1901, "was op'tim'is- , tic. There had been considerable Increases . - in the number of exhibits,: especially :n .■ horses, always a featuro; and. with excellent .' " quality in the other lines; there was every .reason for members: to be satisfied. -Tho ,balance-sheetshowed'' that' '--.the ; Association had dispensed £472. 10s. : lid.. during the. :: /year, of,which amourit:£24l Bs. 6d. hadgono ' in prize-money, and still had a credit balance. Assets were put down at £294 17s. 3d., and liabilities at £69'183. 7d. Tho '' . membership stood at about 200. At this . time the present secretary, Mr. .Rowo-;Fen- : nell, was appointed . V his position, arid ho has since been : associated with tho. instituxtion,. proving himself : a . most zealous, and; painstaking official. -. - ''<■?' .. Under Air. Fennell's mariagemerit, the' / lflo2 ■ show was a record in every way.' Daring the ■: next two years the affairs of'the Society-con- . tinued to make still further improvement, . tho revenue for. the twelve months-ending ... April 1904,, showing-' a' marked increase, ; on that ,of former years. Tho tot'al receipts'' were £047 Is. ,7d.j .while, tho credit balanco, •••"was nearly. £45: The .'assets ' of: the ; Society bad meanwhile increased to £373'45. 4d. The liabilities :.,had dwindled, to such-an extent that they did not total a fivo pound note. It was noted that, with increased facilities .' ier. settlement, there: was 'a • steady rise in the membership. 1 This was also ' due' to tho . 'efforts of ..the president, .Mr.: F. E. Perry, : and others.- The Woodvillo'A. arid P. A;so- ,- ciation has had tho ' samo' difficulty with ,1 members' subscriptions as: tho larger associations, tho amount outstanding in 1905 being stated to bo £133 45., which was estimated to worth £50. \ It will bp-seeri-that the : .loss in. this matter'.-was. almost' 33 1-3 por .''•;-;Cft"t. and one can 'hardly.-Wonder that asso-f-'.-it, -1 'iii'thns manner are ultimately - • ■ <;'i- il'to aj.uiost' estmne r ;nniVsiir6s : of uutscaiidiiig'-siihiseriptions.

; . iti(;!L-\VATi:R MAIIK. . ' : " ..'s ((!!:!;>• readied mark with'- ■ ■j siiiiiv, wlie.'j'tln.'i'o were 1155-entries,' S'ii'g a 'roeovtl in -Its'.'history. The -I'.i-'also of a high. order, and there. atU'ndoucti :of the' public, the .' amounting to just on £70. Thij ...(i'ue for this,year was £681 18s. 3d., ;• ; i■ with 'the previous.year's . balance of " 'y. UJsi Id., made a total 0f'£726.145. lOd; >> .■i.'.st is wero .placod at.£398 , '125. Bd. . weather apparently spoilt the success oi tiic 19116 sliov.. It appears, also, that a misuike has Leon mado in altering the show day from t.ho first week in .'February,;.-which has now been taken by. the Feilding A. and/ I\ Association,; and this is a fact which will require the. serious consideration of those who aro supporting tho Woodvillo organisation. Kntries in 1906 showed a drop of over.

—00, and in 1007 .tlicy -'decreased by over anothor .200." . The harvest was Into'last year, and-this fact interfered greatly with tho_ entries. Horse classes, especially competitions, wero.a fcaturo of tho gathering, and tho Batchelor Cup in tho leaping competition \yjis first won by Mr. D. Noako'3 champion Mignon. So . far as tho financial positioh was concerned,'' tho receipts showed a considerable decrease,. and an overdraft, was necessary "to cnablo,tho society to clear off all tho accounts outstanding. Tho total receipts iii 1907; wero ;£SS7 3s. while tho expenditure, including an. overdraft of £42 os. Id. of. the,. previous year, was £735 19s, • 10d.. vTho' assets wero £-163 10s., and tho liabilities 14s. lcl. It will bo seen that the _ Association has not mado/much progress during tho past two years, and tlfat incrfcased effort will bo required to keep jt in its usual (prominent , position.Something'may bo accomplished by devoting nioro attention to tho dairying in-' .dusti-y' df itlio. district. 'Exhibits in this section , appear, to , havo been given tho prominence which their importance deserved. No doubt every opportunity is given, foif tho exhibition, of dairy .stock, but practically no-. ~thing, i s."dohe, .to : '.iittra'ct butter and' cheese i exhibits, and as tho name of tho Association has been changed to tho Bush Districts in place'6f.;\Voqdvillo7-it"is obvious that thing should;be'dono for thoso settlers who ■ire . really tho backbone of tlio■■country; in thoso distriots. -There' is no reason to doubt that if the society .adapts a suggestion on thoso lines'thero will bo an added interest for ■tlio show, of 1909. • -f, ■ ...... , ■ 'ENTRIES. .. Following 'aro the total entries received by the .Association, in each .year since its inception:—lS92, 274; 1893, 322; 1894,■ 414; 1895, Si.B:f 1896, 515;. 1897, no show; 1898, 457.: 1899, '5J4; 1900, -623; 1901'. 766; 1902, 88519.03, ; .788;. 1 1i)04, 1 875;,1905, 1155; 1906, 934; .1907; 752; 1005,;;747. /'.;j: :