TWO SHOWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 186, 1 May 1908, Page 8

TWO SHOWS.

WAIRARAPA AND MASTEBTON. AMALGAMATION PROPOSALS RE- . JECTED. AN ANIMATED DISCUSSION. I Our Wairarapa correspondent telegraphs that the much-debated quostion of whether | the A. and P.i Associations of Wairarapa and Mastorton should amajgamato and hold ono - combined show at Solway—Masterton's now show grounds—was -finally. decided yostor:day at Carterton, at an annual moating of the -■ Wairarapa Association, when the proposal . v/as vetoed by; 234 votes/to:80, votes. • The . meeting ;]was ~the largest of its :kind \ever, held iri Carterton',;. the : whole', of, the W aira- - s :.i'irapa /and /Masterton-' farmingSdistricts;being "represented." 'There/ wero aW present large' ; numbers of townspeoplefrom . Carterton . and : < . Masterton./ It was' oxpeeted that' the' issue: would bo very close, .'and the niajo- • rity .of , i 54. against the proposed amalgiipna-: . tion—came as a great surprise to the whole' • meeting. '■/./''.•;•■:■//'/ ': v /-/-/,' ./- ■ Preliminary . Skirmishes. , •: Tliero was some : skirmishing " before- tho. debate commenced,- Messrs. .•.W.-.-;.Perry, : John - Martin, and W. ®." Bidwill, who wpre ?y supporting"^.the • amalgamation /, scheme, coiitending that new members recently elected by 1 tho Wairarapa Association could not -vote ■ i " unless they had previously paid' their yearly. I- ■: subscriptions. Mr.' Perry backed ; his. con.•tention up with legal opinion, which he car-: :/ ■■■■■: riod-.in his pocket. But the chairman, Mr; a H. M'Phee, overruled tho objection. . Mr. ,->■■■, W.C. >' Bnchanan :■ held ..that' tho objection should have• been, brought-.forward at tho, ..' sarlier meetings. ■://: .; ■.- •- - * The principal • speakers in favour, of the. ..' proposal wero Messrs. J. M'Gregorj senr., I. "Sykes, G. Donald, W. E. Bidwill. On tho • .other side, Messrs. W. C. Buchanan and H. 11. Bunny led the opposition. The Motion. • The following was tho motion, moved by . Mr. Quentin,Donald, and seconded by Mr. M'Master: — - ■ ■ >. v. . "That, a voto 'by ballot of tho ' members attending the annual meet- :>////■//; inj# bo taken, as. to . whether, it is /' /: advisable to join witli Masterton in vv ■ holding one. show at Solway; and . , that the name of - the amalgamated, . society bo: called 'Tho Wairarapa A.' ,'r ... . and P.-Association.'" " ,' ; . V:v. Wo Don't Want Your Assets.' v ■ ' . • Mr. W. Fisher , said, ho - would- second, the, ■ 1 .r resolution: if Mr. (Donald iwould .amend his motion so that .Wairarapa . Association would, not bo called upon to give up its show ■ , ground and building asset to Masterton. /, <•/'/ Mastorton cries of ."Wd/don't want your ■: assets." • ■ . • \ y£-;(/;-v/-Mr. Fisher contended the. assets ,might be / ... • utilised as an bndowment' for./the'pebple of - the,/district.'But there '-'were further ' cries •• ' that it could 7 not,be 'done,, bedause wh'cn. :two,A. and P. associations amalgamate'the .; , ■ law directs that the ( assets, must-'bo pooled. Mr. W r . C. Buchanan: said tliero .-was; no. -.-.doubt .a.great majority, present 1 was 'in''favour \ of a united show; if all could: agree, as to tho site and the.disposal of the assets: Dur- ■ ■ ingi the: past eight years Wairarapa/Association ■■ had: . spent' '£2000 .--'in,, permanent,im;provements, £1300 of;which had been .spent' since 1904. While he appreciated the-view . ; of those who wantcd.to' make them oiie happy family, ho- bolioved they would. get along best as two happy families. (Laughter.) . The Demand, for One Show. Mr.. J. D. Crnicksliank, President of the, Jlasterton ,A. . and ■ Association, said.,tl]at . -:;.;'Vyellin^a,:.'peopl^, ) Vwho,>had. ; . .b'oih'': . shows ..so -liberally, ..had - also asked, for ;dno. show. -■ Tho. Hawkels. Bay,,-, and .. Manawatu; » : breeder's asked for. one, show;;. He-read a tele-' vr-.:..-. gram from Mr. G. Wheeler in support of the ■ . proposal, and said that with ono show .Wai--,'r.rarapa would hold: its own., with /any show in '. Xew Zealand. Masterton was not actuated by a desire to "nobble" Carterton's show grounds; v y-- ■ ... ■ A One-Sided Courtship. " Mr. , H. R. Bnnny, proceeded', to .show what v : ho oonsiderod wore weak spots in. the proposal, which set out an the who-lo of the , Masterton assets ,of £3000. before a Einglo show could bo-held. 'This proposal,' declared Mr. Bunny, looked very much liko . a matrimonial scheme, in which a groat dtil of courting had been done on one side. His advice was—"Don't." (Laughter.) -' - / Is Wairarapa-Spoon-Fcd? , 1 , r .i Mr. W.' E. Bidwill said, tho show would , ':V.- eventually,: gravitate . to : ono - centre 'in any ;-caso. : : In,;'his'.opihioh,;:Solway ,was ; a.', better , contro'than Carterton/. '-Tho,success of the ~ Wairarapa Association was duo to tho fact i that it' had been • "si>oon-fed" " by - Mr. I -,- Buchanan and others. ; Mr.- J. Sfcrang on tho strength. of a possibility of, obtaining-,. the status of a Royal Show. ■ Otherwise, it would ~bo hold-in Manawatu. . Dc-es It- Bee? • ■ : ... Mr. Isaac "Sykes quoted figures to show ,that the' Wairarapa ,Association got along ': mainly bv outside siipport/ The balance-sheet ' - showed that, tho Society, .could not exist witho:it_ begging. Voioes:' 'What about Masterton ?'' • Out. of ,£2OOO given in prize-money,. said "Mr. .Sykes, ,£IBOO had been collected in donations , and ■ trophies., £1200 of'this amount : camo . from, Wellington, while Carterton had given,only £500. Tho speaker made a-com-' ,: parison of, tho .show'shrinkage,. which 'was 'taking place at Wairarapa. Tho 1277 entries of tho-year 1905 had dropped to 1059 in 1907. In that year, , ont of , a total of 652-entries in stock, 440 came from'Masterton, leaving ' .- Carterton 212-. As -to Carterton's' assets, ,tho. -balance-sheets showed that "Masterton's . -asset was £3919, against Carterton's £2812. At .ihe last Carterton show,-'B5l people' came .v...;).: by rail,'4oo from South..Wairarapa,' 'and 15C0 v,: from Mastertcn. : . Masterton, ' at' its " last -. gathering, had a greater collection of 'horses,' r.v cattle, and; siioep than, any other show in Now Zealand. . :M'Gregor . also quoted' figures in" ■ fa\our of amalgamation,'and appealed for ono . great show. 1 ■■■ - , , Mr. Howard Booth.opposed tho proposal. Mr. Buchanan's Remarks. ■Mr. W' C. Buchanan protestod against Mr. Bidwill's declaration that tho Wairarapa As■cociation had b&en "spoon-fed" bv himself. . Tlioro.woro mnny.ofchers who.had"'helped Wai:;r.irapa,_' in. "addition... to'-himself.,;"'Thirty, or- 1 / ■' thirty-iivb years ago- Canterbury' Association had to rely upon help froni its members and supporters.' . • ' r". point of the fact that A : ,recently, Masterton -Poultry .Associitiwi' had ivritieu suggesting amalgamation with tho South Wairarapa Poultry:Association j''/whoso show, was he-Id in Carterton.-' Tho offer, said Mr./Toomath,':had been-refusodi-' , ■••:.' Tho .End. '■ :/■' .'/- ■: A ballot was then, taken on the motion,! /■;/■', with tho following result \ ' • ' For tho proiwsal , ... 80 . .. 7- " Against . ... ~ ... -234 Tlvcre were loud cheers'as tho announcement was made,, and, on> a motion of Mr. W. Howard Booth, a cheer was then given for ', the Solway'-Syndicate,-" which' -had':'just; borno the brunt of; much criticism .in 'what it'considered lvas in the interests of Wairarapa Masterton A. -and P., Association's. Far iiito- tho night, Carterton . was still ./. talking of its victory, and fighting'the battle . f/er again. / ■