FAT LAMB EXHIBITS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 169, 19 June 1931, Page 5

FAT LAMB EXHIBITS

SUGGESTION TO MEAT BOARD. The promotion of a fat lamb competition among the various A. and P. Associations in New Zealand for judging in London was discussed at the annual conference of the North Island A. and P. Associations yesterday afternoon and a decision to ask for such a competition was arrived at. The matter came up for discussion when the following remit was moved by the delegates of the Poverty Bay Association: —“That the Meat Board be asked to promote a competition among tlie various A. and P. Societies throughout New Zealand for frozen lambs, the competition to be staged in London.” Mr Roberts sponsored the remit on behalf of the Poverty Bay Association, reading a report from liis association on the subject. The matter, Mr Roberts said. had already been brought before the Meat Board, and the board had been impressed with the idea, considering it would tend to bring about a large fat lamb exhibit in London. The Waikato Association had already run a similar competition, which had been greatly successful. Mr Sandilands (Feilding) seconded the motion pro forma, considering the remit was outside the scope ol the conference. There had, he said, already been a move on a similar basis put forward by tlie associations in this district and the Wairarapa. but nothing had come of it. The Feilding Association had for several years had a class on its own account for judging in London, and the results of the judging had always shown that the second class lambs at the local shows had gained the prizes at Home. The speaker thought the scheme was a failure on this account as tlie breeders gained no useful knowledge from it. There was something wrong when lambs classed second in New Zealand could be judged first class on the London market.

Mr C. E. Vile (Marton) said the good lambs were always overweight or something else and it was no use looking to the Meat Board for information and assistance, as it could not help. Theoretically the scheme looked as if it would be of value, but practically it was not. Mr Cotterell said that the question of. date was perhaps the stumbling block. If the lambs were restricted to those of a certain age, the matter of overweight would perhaps disappear. Mr Stuckey pointed out that the last word in the matter rested with the Meat Board even if the remit was passed—the problem of handling would be a large one if many exhibitors took part. Mr Sandilands agreed with Mr Stuckey on this point and suggested that the Meat Board be asked to ship Home a parcel of lambs for exhibition.

The president (Mr J. M. James, Masterton) thought the idea would be alright if it could be worked, but previous efforts in the same direction had failed. Breeders knew file weight of lamb required on the London market and if the proposal be worked it would be of value and an advertisement' for New Zealand lamb. It would mean a lot of work and the question was who was going to manage it. In. reply, .Mr Roberts said each association could be responsible for sending forward the lambs from its district to the Meat Board which would in turn forward the lambs to London for judging. It did not matter which lamb—second class of first class —got the prize; it was tho advertisement for New Zealand that counted. In any case Mr Roberts said he was not asking the conference to adopt the remit; he merely required it to forward the remit to the Meat Board for it to consider the matter.

Tlie president said Mr Roberts’s last remark cleared up some misapprehension that existed among delegates in regard to the remit which, on . being put to the vote, was carried.