GOVERNMENT OF SHOWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20303, 10 July 1929, Page 13

GOVERNMENT OF SHOWS.

SUMMER AND AUTUMN DATES.

AUCKLAND FIXTURE LATER

CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES.

Autumn dates, for what has previously been (ho Auckland Agricultural and l\istoral Association's summer show, were approved at, tlio animal meeting of the Auckland Provincial Council of Afiiliated Agricultural and Pastoral Associations in Auckland yesterday. About twenty delegates attended, including representatives of the North Island Conference. Mr. J. T. F. Mitchell presided. The dales agreed upon were February 27 and 23 and March 1. The secretary of the Auckland Association said that the change was being made lor many leasons. The principal one was that during November (ho Auckland show could not expect to draw entries from far afield and, as a big metropolitan show, it had the right io draw from all over tno province. Furthermore, work on the farms was lighter at the later dates, while from their own point of view in the city they found that the pull of summer sports and pastimes was not so great, in the autumn as it was at the beginning of the summer when activities were just beginning. Unlike many smaller centres, Auckland depended mainly upon its gatetakings, and it could no longer afford to ignore that important point.

Other Dates in Province. Dates for other shows in the Auckland province were approved as follows: — Hamilton, November 13 and 14; 'Io Aroha, November 19 and 20; Bay of Islands, November 20; Whangarei, November 27 and 23; Clcvcdon, Warkwortli and Upper Wairoa, February 8; Pukekohc, February 14 and 15; Matamata, February 25; Ohura, February 26 and 27; Katikati, March 5; Cambridge, March 5 and 6; Towai, March 6.

The secretary reported that although they had been circularised some associations had' not sent in their dates and apparently did not want to tako advantage of the move that had been made to prevent clashing. A remit was later adopted that afiiliated associations should be asked to submit their show dates for the season to the conference before June 30 in each year. Officers for tho ensuing year were elected as follows President, Mr. J. T. F. Mitchell; vice-presidents, Mr. E. A. Allan (Pukekohe) and Mr. L. W. Nelson (North Auckland); secretary and treasurer, Mr. W. F. O'Donnell; executive, Messrs. J. Baxter (Hamilton), D. M. Bryant (Clevcdon) and W. S. Wilson (Matamata). Exemption From Taxation.

A remit forwardtd by Iho Auckland Association was adopted protesting against the remit passed by the recent Municipal Bodies' Conference asking that tho concessions granted to Agricultural • and Pastoral Societies under tho Valuation of Land Act, 1925, should be restricted to an area of 20 acres. A further resolution was carried asking that all lands held by Agricultural and Pastoral Associations should bo exempt from taxation. At tho instigation of the Auckland Association it was also decided to recommend to the Royal Show Society that a system of movable Royal Shows should be adopted as tho settled policy of the society, and to inform it that the associations were not in favour of making any particular centro tho permanent headquarters of the Royal Show. A remit from the King Country Central Association was carried to tho effect that tho conference should be asked to take steps to compile a register of showmen and to draw up regulations under which to act. The secretary stated that, the Auckland-Association had gone very fully into tho matter and it was now practically impossible for an undesirable to find an opening in the Auckland province-. Previously Auckland had been a dumpingground" for all sorts of showmen, and there had been a fair amount of trouble. Ho thought that the matter could be taken further by the conference issuing a licence to approved showmen and their games, without which they would not bo granted space. A recommendation was also made that a graduated scale of charges should be framed for associations to use.

Schomo for Agricultural Clubs. The formation of calf and root-grow-in? clubs was oiseussed. The executive was asked to bring down a scheme for (h& organisation of these clubs which when adopted, will be sent to the affiliated associations for them to act upon and set up clubs in their own districts. It, was also decided to draw the attention of the Government to tho clanger of tho introduction of the maizo borer into the Dominion by tho importation of European broom.