AUCKLAND WINTER SHOW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 283, 24 August 1908, Page 3

AUCKLAND WINTER SHOW.

THE SITE QUESTION. Our Auckland correspondent writes:— For over a year 1 the _ Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, hag been endeavouring to find a suitable site" for a hall for the Auckland Winter.Show, and various, sites were inspected, bllt'-'Wre either found unsuitable or else, the price was prohibitive. Owing' to failure to secure a sito the show for this winter had to be abandoned, but latterly iho Association's Site Committee lias thought' of the' fireball* area in Newmarket, a triangular reservebacked by ; the Kaipara railway, and containing one aero. Tho land is held by the Newmarket Borough Council, half an acre being a town hall reserve, and tho other ha.lf aero an endowment under the Domains Act. The Association is now negotiating;with.-the Newmarket Borough Council for a' 40-years'' lease of the ground. It would make a splendid site for an agricultural hall,; being centrally situated for a very large district, adjacent to the railway, and served by tho Parnell arid Now? market tram lines. The area has never been utilised by tho Newmarket Borough Council, and it has'been, lying, idle for 20 years, nor does thcro appear any ' probability of the Borough Council making use of tho ground for another 20 years, certainly not for the purpose of a town hall sito. The proposal of the Agricultural Association is that'it should.combine with the Auckland Industrial Association in the erection of a commodious and substantial agricultural and industrial hall for Auckland, and as the Newmarket Borough Offices are obsolete, provision would be made for the Borough Offices in the new hall. The idea is for a two-story building. In front on the. ground floor would be the Borough Offices, and a public reading room, and behind that a largo hall which could be utilised for horso fairs and winter show purposes. Upstairs would he a large public hall also for winter show purposes and for the Industrial Association's Exhibition, but available at other times for letting. To carry out this schemo of course a. long lease at a peppercorn rental would be required, and the question is to be discussed by tho'Newmarkot Borough Council. Even if tho sito , is granted immediately, the formalities and the erection of the hall could not be completed in time for nest winter show. Referring to tho matter at a meeting of tho Agricultural and Pastoral Association, tho president (Mr. John Massey) 1 said the Association was encouraged to beliove it could securo the Drill Hall for the next show. The Association hoped to combine with the Industrial Association, which had just concluded a very fine exhibition. The support of the townspeople was, of course, necessary to make a successful exhibition, and ho believed there would bo no difficulty about an amalgamation of the two bodies for tho erection of tho hall. • It was hoped that the Newmarket Borough Council would see the groat advantage of the erection of such a hall in the borough. Further consideration was deferred pending.a reply from the Newmairket Council, and a,' reply from Colonel Wolfe regarding an application made for : the use of the Drill Hall.