AUCKLAND AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7402, 10 August 1885, Page 5

AUCKLAND AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION.

The Executive Committee .of the above Association met in their office on Tuesday last, for the purpose .of farther considering the arrangements for the ooming annual show. Mr. Lawry ocoupied the chair. At the I fist meeting of the committee, Messrs. A. Aitken and S. Morrin volunteered to canvas the city for subscriptions, in order to give various champion prizes, and these gentlemen have been very successful in their undertaking, and the Association have, through their agency, coupled with the generosity of the donors, been able to offer substantial prizes in this respect. Thus for tho best blood mare and horse respectively thero will be a prize of £10 10s ; the samo for draught entires, mare or gelding ; and pair of draughts, mares or gelding, b'or the best bulls, shorthorns and Herefords respectively, thero will be £5 5»; the same for cows is these classes ; also for the best milking cow. A similar prizo will bo given for the champion ram of the longwool cla»s, and for shortwool ram of any breed. There will bo the substantial prize of £10 10s for tho largest prize taken in local industries, £10 10s for tho largest in sheep, and £5 5s for the largest in poultry, making a total of nearly £116 for champion prizos alone. Considerable discussion arose relative to the advisability of giving a prize of £10 103 for the beat bull on the ground, irrespective of breed, the tame to apply in the rani class, but no definite conclusion was arrived at, though Mr. Arthur expressed the belief th«t the contributors to the champiou prize fund would take no exception to such a course. It is probable, however, that this matter will ho reconsidered and finally settled at the next meeting. During the past mouth a great deal of important correspondence has been received, and its consideration occupied much time. The fiist letter read was from Mr. W. F. Bickland, M.H.R., President of the Association, briefly stßting that ho was taking nu'ion re the appointment of an entomologist, as requested by the Association. A long and very interesting letter was read from Mr. Kvery Mac'ean relative to champion awards, rail freights on cattle from Waikato and other places, entrance fees, and various other matters. When the letter was written Mr. Maclean did not expect to be present, but ho subsequently arranged to attend, and explained more fully in a verbal manner what he considered likely to prove conducive to the success of the show. A letter wa« received from the Secretary of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, which fully supported Mr. Maclean's views relative to railway conveyance of oattle aud other exhibits for the show, the purport of which was that a meeting of delegates from various associations was hold last week, and that a resolution had been unanimously passed expressing the great desirability of the Government granting free passes to all exhibits duly entered for bona lido exhibition, and that members of the Assembly be requested to ask Parliament to give immediate effect to the resolution. The letter askod the Association to aid and co-operate, and it was unanimously resolved to do bo, and the Chairman, Mr. Aitkeu, and Mr. Percival were appointed to draft a resolution from the committee for the Presidout to present to the House, asking that such concessions be made. Mr. Selby's case re the Loan and Mercantile Company's enp was further considered, and a letter from Messrs. Hesketh and Richmond was read asking the committee for fuller details. It was finally resolved that the Secretary write Mr. Selby informing him thatthe matterhas been placed in the hands of the legal gentlemen named, and if they decide that the cup cannot be recovered, prompt compensation will be given to the value of the cup, in any form Mr. Selby may suggest. A letter was received from the Auckland Gardeners' Horticultural Association, stating that owing to Sunday coming between the two days of the show, the offer of the committee to hold the shows together could not be entertained, but hoped to amalgamate upon a future occasion. A letter was also read from the New Zealand commissioner of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, asking co-operation in obtaining a supply of wool, grain, and other exhibits, but nothing definite was done in the matter. A letter from Messrs. Fullerton Bros., of the Mauku, was received, offering a prize of £10 for the best yearling colt or filly by their entire horse Blair Athol. The offer was received with thanks. It was resolved to hold the annual Entire Horse Parade on the Show-ground, Greenlane, on Saturday, September 26.