Manawatu Daily Times The Royal Show

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6947, 28 June 1929, Page 6

Manawatu Daily Times The Royal Show

The transparent attempt of a few Wellington people to fix a permanent location in the Empire City for the Royal Show has ended in ignominious failure. The fact that such a proposition was ever put forward showed not only a want of appreciation of the fitness of things but also an absence of a sense of humour. The idea of a Royal Show functioning successfully in Wellington seemed too ridiculous for serious consideration by anyone who had had practical experience of handling big agricultural shows, but the Wellington enthusiasts pushed their scheme with a persistency worthy of a better cause, and had actually won over a majority of the special committee set up by the council of the Royal Society to report on the matter.

This committee reported to Wednesday’s annual meeting of the Society in favour of the idea, but its reception from representatives of other parts of the Dominion must .have convinced the advocates of the scheme that there was no hope whatever of its adoption. The president (Mr. Win. Perry), who has been coquetting with the proposal for some time past, took up a neutral attitude in moving the adoption of the report, declaring that he had not reached a decided opinion. Nevertheless, the suggestion that Wellington might provide a good “gate" strongly appealed to the president.

Manawatu’s delegate (Mr. M. A. Conway) very forcibly and truthfully—if a little unkindly—reminded the advocates of the Wellington site that they would at best only succeed in establishing a glorified side-show! The idea of a Royal Society was not to get “gates,” said Mr. Conway, but to improve the stock throughout the Dominion, and for this reason he would strongly oppose the idea of a permanent site in a city. The Canterbury delegates naturally put up a vigorous defence of the itinerant Royal Show. Mr. M. E. Lyons said it had not been proved that Wellington had the man to conduct such a show. Why should the South Island be penalised, he asked. Southland people would have to pay about £ll in fares to get to Wellington every time they wanted to see a Royal Show. But Mr. Lyons produced a much more powerful argument when lie declared that there was serious objection to starting another large show, adding considerably to the expense breeders would be put to in exhibiting their stock. It was hardly likely, he added, that breeders would scrap the Palmerston North Show in favour of Wellington. “It is approaching dishonesty to put the Government subsidy permanently into Wellington," said'Mr. Lyons in conclusion. The matter was finally clinched when the following remit from Canterbury was carried by 27 votes to 11: “That the system of peripatetic Royal Shows should be adopted definitely as the settled policy of the society.” So much for Wellington’s dream!

If a man must be arrested for a trivial offence, hit him where it will tingle; let him continue to work in the days, and make him spend his nights for a week or so in gaol, away from his radio, where ho can only think of the movies, and where no one can drop in for a game' of cards or a chat. That is one of the things recommended among changes in New York city’s system of handling minor offence cases in the courts.

Forty-one inches of space whereiu lies all human knowledge—this, in brief, is a description of the fourteenth edition of the encyclopaedia Britannica, the 24r volumes of which, running to some 30,000,000 words, are now on the press. When tho edition is ready for circulation this month it will, should the volumes be piled one on top of the other, make a stack of books more than 17t miics high. Ninety per cent, of the material is new.