MASTERTON'S SHOW.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1523, 28 February 1901, Page 44

MASTERTON'S SHOW.

' A RISING INSTITUTION. ; CONGRATULATIONS ON RE- // SXJLTB. SUGGESTIONS FOR. TMPROVE- ■ MENTS/’ (By Our Special Reporter.) - A show is an institution which weather can make or mar. .Masterton is a place where the sun shines most days of the year. Australian heat, tempered by a New Zealand breeze blowing off the snowless Tararuas, were the conditions w ; hich made matters pleasant for several thousands . of, visitors to the Masterton Show on the 20th, The local Agricultural and Pastoral Association has taken a new lease of life. For a time its fate hung in the balance, but enterprising and 1 intelligent settlers came to. the front saying, “This thing must never be!” A young, vigorous, pushful, energetic secretary was given charge of affairs ; generous donors came to the front with money, gifts and trophies of a value far in excess of anything of the kind that had ever been had before ; and settlers from near and far, responding heartily to the call made upon them to rally to the assistance of the association, sent forward the pick of their Hocks and herds in such numbers as to constitute a New Zealand record as far as sheep, horses and cattle are eoncerne.d. *

> The" Masterton Show lias thus established/ a reputation, to liye up to. Gratifying features of Wednesday’s exhibition were the number and quality of the Lincoln and Romney sheep entries, the splendid collection of hacks, Ironies, harness horse;? and draughts, the weight and condition of the fat sheep and cattle shown and the increased interest exhibited in the display of farming and dairy produce.

) The prize awards show that the local are able to more than bold their own with outside competitors. Not only are their pastures splendidly adapted to the breeding of show sheep, but each and .every one of them realises the importance of fresh blood to their .flocks; so that the time fefi© now arrived when, in turn, flockowners from afar are glad to secure to their own uses sheep from, the folds of such breeders as the Messrs Perry Bros., B. and W. Rayner, Gray Bros., W. B. Allen, E. W. Dorset, J. Stuckey, J. Rayner, .and Williams and'Beet-ham. .. The collection of hacks, harness horses and ponies on Wednesday shows that the love of the horse is as firmly implanted in the breast of the country settler as ever it’wssr.%. Those who prophesied that the “ bike ” would supersede the horse spoke without book. There is a peculiar affinity between the man and the horse, the growth of centuries, which the growth of centuries will be required to eradicate. The contingents carried away many good torses, but Wednesday’s show proved to demonstration that many good horses yet remain. -

'7'The staunch and stolid draught remains: unaffected by machinery and invention. He, alone, is' , the necessary traction animal. There were some fine samples of him at the Masterton. S-how, so much so as to constitute a feature on the catalogue and in the ring. Perhaps the feature of the' show was the exhibition of fat stock. ■' .Nothing «o*uld.have more strikingly exemplified the wealth of the Wairarapa pastures than that. Of course, the season has been a phenomenal one for feed, although the face of- the country has a somewhat parched and arid look at the present moment. 1 " .; It*was a wise thought which prompted the 'association to introduce farmers’ oSases into . its catalogue.. Hitherto the sheep-farmers, _ with mild ambitions atid yet with sporting inclinations, have been crowded’ out by what may almost fee called;their ' professional brethren, whose exhibitn they have been constrained to admire afar off./ Now tf the little tfellows ’’ are to ..have a chance, and, of course; they will- have an added interest in /the well-being of the show. r ; ... . ‘7.

It was well to, see, also, that the enoouragement' which has been afforded to the small farmers and the industrial section of the community has borne good fruit. - There was keen competition, especially in the bread-baking and. butter-making sections. The fullest encouragement should •/ be given to thy ladies and children to bring forth their » jhandiwork. v By. .-this process as much a/ that' can be de-

vised, the well-being of the association will be conserved. The desire of the management should be to interest every section of the community in its operations. If an increase in the prize-money is necessary to this end, there should be no stint, because suoh enterprise will be rewarded indirectly. Another matter in which the association must show an enterprising spirit is that of advertising. If the management wishes it to be regarded as no ordinary show it must not be contented with a stereotyped “ad.” in the newspapers to call. attention to it. It should make the Railway Department work' for it, first by securing special facilities to enable people from a distance to visit Masterton, and, secondly, by letting everybody know that su.ch. special facilities are. available. . : Another fact will have' to be faced, aiid that immediately. It was apparent to all on Wednesday that the Masterton Show has outgrown its one-day infancy. You can’t reasonably crowd a show of those dimensions into one day, and send your Wellington, visitors away to oatch their train at 3.15 in the afternoon, just when all the fun is commencing. *

Another matter which the committee might take into consideration is the arranging cf some form of entertain-

ment on the night before the show. Masterton is a dismal place o’ nightsfor strangers who hav.o no friends. A farmers’ subscription dinner might be arranged, or, at any rate, the patriotic spirit of the citizens evoked to work up a show ball or some other means of entertainment for visitors. The essence of hospitality abides in all these things, and it is not to be denied that the absence or presence of those attentions which go to warm the heart of the “ stranger within your gates ” makes all the difference in the reputation of a place for being “ alive ” or “ dead and alive,” or ezen “ absolutely dead.” As for the show grounds themselves, there is much yet to be done to improve them, both in appearance and in utility. The Ravages of time, and the axe of the utilitarian, are decimating the beautiful bush which makes so picturesque a background to thei main show ring. Therefore, it is advisable that some attemptshould bo made to grow ornamental and shelter trees to take the place of the native trees. A fringe of willows along the) banks of the creek which runs through the grounds would be very pretty, and there is no reason why suitable shelter trees should not he planted throughout the grounds themselves. The Masterton show grounds have better natural advantages than any others in New Zealand. There is no reason why they should not be enlarged and in reality become the rendezvous of the people*, both for sport and recreation.

It is fair to those interested in the A. and P. Association to sav that much hard labour has been performed in the improvement of the grounds in the shape of “"working bees.” Let these busy bees continue! “A piece of water” is 'a great ornament to a show ground. There is no reason why there should not bei an artificial lake in the Masterton show grounds. The a/ecessary excavation is already there. Then a new secretary’s office is required ; and perhaps it might not be too much to ask that the press might be located far from the maddening piano seller, and far 'also l from the “madding crowd.” Number boards, too, are a necessity of modern civilisation, and number beards ought to be erected in thei centre cf the main show ring, to inform people rapidly what competitors are winning all the prizes. A press steward or an official who would devote his best energies to assisting the press in their arduous duties would also prove an institution of inestimable value.