THE NATIONAL SHOW THE PROGRESS TRACED

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 15

THE NATIONAL SHOW THE PROGRESS TRACED

The chief reason for the enormous growth of the National .Dairy Show_ at Palmerston North is that it is a necessity. Most big institutions, in fact all which have a continued existence, are a success purely because they have this factor as their foundation. "Successful" men ftT e" successful because they have made themselves necessary to the community, or to their more immediate employers, in the capacity which they fill. The Winter Show at Padmerston North continues, and each yea* progresses, because the farmers, and those interested in the industries for which it caters, find it necessary to them in their advancement ; it brings them into an educational competition, it puts before' them th© latest devices by which they can modernise their methods, and it places at their disposal most Of the latest results available .of scientific research as applied to primary production. And they have at their disposal all this material, because it pays thef authorities, and the manufacturers, and the merchants to do it. With the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association lies the credit of the success of the Show, because in the first place it perceived the necessity of the annual fixture, and secondly, in the succeeding years has carefully anticipated each developing need, and. ha's provided for the farmer that which ho comes to see. It would be possible. to go back to the first Winter Show held at Palmerston and compare it with. the_ present ope ; but it would only be stating the obvious to detail the advance . that has taken place in the intervening years.^ It is »nly natural that institutions in _ growing communities should increase in importance and size. But it is interesting to notice the particular aspect of utility ttfat has crept into the Manawatu Show. The institution has been shorn of all superfluous features. There is no *6om in the buildings or on the grounds for anything that has not its' particular traifc of utility. As a matter of fact, though the accommodation, is the greatest in the Dominion, there is no room available for anything which is not required. The accommodation is taxed^ severely to provide for even that which is necessary. Side-shows are there, but they are regarded as a necessary feature of ,the entertainment side. i The. space under cover on the Showground covers 55,000 square feet. All .the buildings, of .course, are of stone, and as there is plenty of room on the grounds for expansion in this respect, and all buildings are equally valuable for either Winter or Summer Show, there . is no reason why future accommodation should bo sought upward. Quite recently 1500 feet of spoil was added. Outside .of the sheds again are numerous tents for the accommodation and display of vehicles, motors — which v now comprise co large a feature— farmers' implements, and other exhibits. LOOKING TO THE PAST. The visitor to the Show will not require many years to his credit to be able to cast the mind back to the first Winter Show. It was instituted after a considerable amount of opposition from members of the A. and P. Association's General Committee, who were very loth to incur the necessary risk ; and their caution was not without reason, because just at that time the Association was under considerable debt, the development of the Stunmer Show had been stupendous, and it was quite impossible to foretell whether the future public support would increase in ratio with the development of the Show. But sanguine minds carried the day, and _ th^ first Winter Show was born. With it, then, was linked up the annual meeting of the National Dairy Association, and since then the two have loyally hung _ together. Each has been of great assistance to the other, and each has cordially recognised this important necessity — the A. and P. Association to such, a practical extent that it provided in its building scheme a special hall for the annual meetings. It would be a long process to trace the rapid growth of the decade Or thereabouts that the Show has been in existence. But if a mental picture can bo retained by any presentday visitors of the things they saw on that first Show Day, of the dairy machinery, of the dairy factory machinery, and of the general run of the dairy utensils and motor power, and then look around and compare with it what they see in the halls to-day, they will have a very vivid realisation of the parallel advance of the dairy industry. Scarcely any of the machinery of that first Show Day would do to equip the pre-sent-day up-to-date dairy or dairy factory. In that sense the history of the National Dairy Show is the history of the dairy industry in New Zealand, and the_ rapidity of its advancement the rapidity of the progress of the industry. This year cheese-making appliances figure more largely than ever, and that is because the vendors and manufacturers recognise the friovement among the dairy factories to cater for the increased demand for cheese and secure the higher prices it is bringing, In the early days a single portable engine, with about 60ft of main shafting, sufficed for the whole moving machinery exhibit, and all other auxiliary power was debarred. Now there is many timesthat provision, and several of the exhibitors run their own engines. Then, also, there was very much less than half the covered Kpace there is at present, no secretarial office, no covered entrance — merely a little shanty near the entrance gate, where on the closing night of Che first Winter Show a few of the hard-working committee and members of the local press informally gathered to toast success to the future. MODERN METHODS. , A few years back the exhibitions of milking machines were allotted a epace in a far corner of the grounds, where they ga.ve practical demonstrations in the tain of their advantages, in much the same way that a similar exhibit of the surne pioneer firm Tvas to be seen at successive Dairy Shows ra the London Agricultural Hall in an obscure^ corner, •vlicre aa k>dignaut representative told of how it had been nec^-ssary to go to Denmark to interest the industry in the mechanical method of getting the milk from the cows. To-da,y milking machines, jwhich are. in many ways, improvements ■ca the .original invention, figuro among..

be. Its utility extends over a wide area. But it is a very satisfactory reflection for this important district to-day that through the activity and enterprise of its rjepresentative men, and the encouragement of the people, it has not yielded up pride of place in the great display typical of ite chief industry, but has developed an annual event worthy of the magnificent country in which it is placed.

When the Foxton railway -was being constructed near the Himitangi station, it was found almost impossible to keep the cuttings and banks open. One day the workmen would find a cutting full of sand and the next day a .whole bank would be blown away. At last they had to cover all open sand with fascines to get it to stand at all. Till the gravel ballast, which was got from the_ gravel seam at Foxton, was put on, this dimculty continued. A further protection was provided by planting belts of trees, gums, pines, etc., on the south side of the road, for which land varying in width up to ten chains wide, had to be taken and planted. These belts of trees may be seen to-day. Messrs. Kebble Bros., says OH Manawatu, were the pioneer sawmillers of the Manawatu. Here about the middle of the year 1842 they commenced the erection of a 20 h.p. steam sawmill, which they had brought from. England to Wellington, and thence by sea to Manawatu. The Maoris, when they first saw the steam issuing from the 40ft cast-iron chimney, called it "he puiua mokai" -or "a, tame boiling Bprinfr"

Awahuri Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. C. J. Parlane) second, with 94£ points ; Te Aroha District Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. J. Rutherford) third, with 94 points. There were twenty-four entries from all parts of the Dominion. Class 5, for a Box of Export Butter from the bulk, was won by Awahuri Cooperative Dairy Co., Ltd.. (Mr. 0. J. Parlane), 94£ points; the RangiwahiaRuahine Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. V. P. Robinson) and the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Co., Ltd. (Mr. C. C. Capell) second, with_ 94 points each; and the Ballance-Konini Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. D. Kelly) and North Taranaki Dairy Co., (Mr. E. F. Huse) third, with 93 points. Twenty entries. Class 6, for Export Butter, held in store since February. — Thames Valley Dairy Co-operative Co., Ltd, 94£ points, 1; Awahuri Dairy Co., Ltd. and Levin Dairy Co., Ltd., each 94 points; Te Aroha Dairy Co., Ltd., 93 points. The New Zealand Championship in Export Butter, comprising most points in classes 1 and 6, was won as follows :—: — Awahuri Dairy. Co., Ltd. (C. J. Parlane, manager), 189, points ... 1 Levin Dairy Co. Etd.' (J. Smellie) 188£ points 2 Thames Valley Dairy Co., Ltd. (W. C. Dixon), 188 points 3 Te Aroha Dairy Co.. Ltd. (J. Rutherford), 187^ points 4 Class 7, Butter manufactured from home-separated cream. — Omata Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. _O. Jensen), first, with 93 points; Piopio Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. F. M. Tunnicliffe), 92£ points, second, and Rangiwahia-Ruahine Co., Ltd. (Mr. JjT. & JELobiososx 92 .jpoints* third

I the most important exhibits in the main hall. All over the dand^ they are in use; even the .Prime Minister, the Rt. : Hon. W. F. Massey, tells how his farm is installed with this and other ' up-to-date machinery to such a perfect degree : that an attendant does not require to handle ,the milk from the time it is extracted by the milking machines, until it has passed through the strainers and the aerators into the creamery cans. Machinery to enable this to be done is all seen at the Show. But besides the machinery, other departments have similarly expanded. The butter and cheese exhibits have spread over a big area of floor space. The root

crops, a small benchful on the first occasion, now vie with the best that Dunedin can show. Ten years ago the farmers were being interviewed upon the question' of whether Manawatu could,_ or would, ever produce really anything great in root crops ; to-day there is the answer in the Show. It is the same with the orchard exhibits. In a little time this extremely fine feature will be still very much more developed. The poultry exhibit also has kept at a high^ standard, and the committee by retaining a liberal scale of prizes fills the pens with birds from most parts of the Dominion. The schools have their district displays and compete for prizes. The competition side of the Show has been developed in a very large degree/ 'Competitors know they are in the very best company; and that to win is distinction. PUBLIC ATTRACTIONS. Outside features have not been allowed to go unattended. This year school children to the number of about 800 will be on the grounds to provide a physical display in the oval. Horse events, and a big football fixture are other attractions. Thus does the Manawatu Metropolitan Dairy Show to-day stand out above its compeers in others parts of the DominioiL, It has become a great factor in the progress of the district. It has equally become emblematic of the ad-, vance of the rich-soiled Manawatu, though its activities have by no means been localised, nor are they likely to

45£. The five factories were Levin Cooperative Dairy Co., Ltd.' (Mr. J. Smellie, manager) ; Mauriceville Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. A. Milne); North TaTanaki Dairy Co., Ltd. (Mr. E. F. Huse) ; Reefton Mutual Dairy Association (Mr. J. J. Henry); Te Aroha District Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd (Mr. John Rutherford). There were thirty entrants in this class. Class 2, a Box of Export Butter, manufactured by factory managers not having won a prize at any show to the value of £5, was won by Mr. J. Young (Cheltenham Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.), with 94 points; Mr. F. J. Luke (Ngaire Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.\ being second with 93£ points ; Mr. J. A. Falconer (Eureka Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.) third, with 93 points ; Mr. J. M. M'Donald (Aira Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.) fourth, with 92£ points. Class 3, a Box of Export Butter, manufactured by factory managers not having won a prize at the Manawatu Show, was won by Mr. W. C. Dixon (Thames Valley Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd), 94£ points ; Mr. J. G. Ward (Rata Co-opera-tive Dairy Co., Ltd.) second, with 94 points ; Mr. F. M. Tunnicliffo (Piopio Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.) third, with 94 points ; and Mr. J. A. Falconer I (Eureka 'Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd.) fourth, with 93£ points. Class 4, a Box of Export Butter ; open to members of the New Zealand Dairy Factory Managers' Association, was won I by the Levin Co-operative Dairy Co., I Ltd. (Mr. J. Smellie), 95 points; the i