The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1920.

Evening Star, Issue 17368, 2 June 1920, Page 4

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1920.

Otago holds amongst its many early honors the distincThe Winter Show, tion of having set the national standard for seasonable exhibitions of provincial' resources, and still retains the leading place in maintaining it for quality, if. not for sheer quantity, of the products of the field, the farm, and the factory. The Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society's 28th Winter Show, which serves as'an excellent object lesson for citizens who are a little too much inclined to overlook their dependence upon laborious rural enterprise, ought to disperse the gloom of the pessimists' who find a melancholy pleasure in asserting that Otago is drifting to the " demnition bow-wows." The society's latest exhibition is an admirable guarantee of the abiding strength and resourcefulness of our fertile Province. It.encourages optimism and greater effort towards extensive development. The main features of the Winter Show and all the points that challenge comparison have already been adequately described in our columns -with illuminating , detail; it is now only necessary to emphasise the accuracy of the description, and to endorse with ready goodwill the verdict that adds another triumph to the fine record of the society, the veteran competitors, and the solid province. In many important features the exhibition is a unique success. Its best feature as regards true value for Otago as a whole has not, however, been adequately emphasised—that is, the striking proof of the. very appreciable fact that a prolonged period of. material prosperity on the land, and in all things that depend upon the productiveness of the land for success, has neither warped the enthusiasm of the competitors nor caused a deterioration of their skill in the preparation of their excellent exhibits. It would not have been surprising if the Winter Show had revealed a slackness similar to that' -which has followed prosperity in other activities, for success is sometimes demoralising. The country folk, more prone to serious thought and caution, have not permitted prosperity to lower their high, standard of solid work and deliberate enterprise. Ip i* of special interest to note at the moment that the agricultural and pastoral prosperity of New Zealand formed the subject of an optimistic speech at Palmerston North last week by the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands, who appears to be much too busy to come South and acquire knowledge of the skill of Otago producers. In emphasising the remarkable strength of the Dominion's financial position the Minister joyously referred to the value of New Zealand's products. Wool in 1910 was worth eight millions, and in 1919 worth nineteen millions. The comparative values of other products were these: Frozen meat, three millions and nine millions; butter, one million and three millions; cheese, one million and seven millions; while general trade over the same period showed an increase of 44 millions. The excess of exports iover imports for 1919 '". totalled £21,963,251. He thought that these figures should be encouraging to the farmers, for_ nobody would suggest that the Dominion had reached the zenith of its prosperity. Are the farmers discouraged? They are as happy as sandboys, and have, in addition to prosperity, their very own Government in power. Let us all hope'that "the best is yet to be." Another very satisfactory feature of the Winter Show is the excellent effort made by the Dunedin manufacturers, who have emerged with high promise from a long twilight of "industrial indifference as regards the' value of demonstrating their skill and resourcefulness in relation to the needs of modern farming. Their display is admirable proof of efficiency and enterprise. In respect to the exhibits of dairy produce, may we suggest in the spirit of__friendship - that the- society and the exhibitors should co-opera to in the direction of providing the public- with an QPEpSteuijg- tQ enjoy the choice, qualitv of th?"'exhrbltst J ''Undoubtedly 'the 'butter and cheese displayed are of excellent quality, but as far as the people are concerned the exhibits on the stand might as well be made of dummy material. Why not institute the sale of biscuits and butter and cheese of prize quality as a popular test of the high standard of our dairy produce at the-Winter Show! It would pay, and be very p'opular. We have, keen pleasure in congratulating the society and the exhibitors upon the" notable' success of their efforts this year.