PALMERSTON NORTH.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4635, 14 April 1902, Page 3

PALMERSTON NORTH.

(By Our Special Reporter.) Saturday. Twenty-two nominations have been received for the twelve members of committee of the A. and P. Association. Tho annual meeting takes place at the Theatre Royal on the 26th inst. Two well-known residents of Palmerston were married to-day—Miss M. E. Stevenson and Mr P. W. Bunting. Tho marriage, which was attended only by the relatives of the bride and bridegroom, took place at the residence of Mr W. T. Wood. Misses Reki and Louie Wood were the bridesmaids, and Mr Wood gave tho bride away. Mr C. H. Warden acted as best man.

At a meeting of the committee of the A. and P.Association to-day, a circular was received from the Canterbury A. and P. Association, asking that joint representation be made to tho Government to provide special fast trains for stock in transit to shows, and for reduced rates on coastal steamers for show stock, in order to encourage more extensive competition. Walter Freeman, one of the institutions of the Manawatu railway and lessee of the Palmerston railway refreshment rooms, controlled the latter for the last- time to-day. For six years Mr Freeman has conducted the refreshment rooms and bar in exemplary manner, not a single complaint having been made during his term of occupancy., Mr Freeman will still, however, have charge of the dining cars of the Manawatu Company, and the Government cars to New Plymouth. ■ . Farmers in this part of the colony have little reason to complain of their lot. Here and there instances are to be noted of men moving to other districts in search of cheaper land, but the* great majority are well contented with . their valuable holdings. A few weeks ago a farmer in the Cheltenham district, who had been reared on tussock country in Canterbury, and who had left it in his early manhood and made his present fine farm out of dense bush country, returned after an absence of a couple of decades to tho plains in order to purchase a farm with the money he' had made in the bush. After several weeks spent in searching for the homestead of his dreams, he turned his back on his first love, quite satisfied that there was nothing in the South to compare with the northern country. A good number of members attended the committee meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association today. Mr J. O. Batchelar, the president, was in the chair. Mr Bennie, of Wellington, was appointed a delegate to the New Zealand Kennel Club. It was decided to ask Messrs F. W. Sewell and F. J. Nathan if they would act in similar capacities. The National Dairy Association wrote acknowledging jtne receipt of information as to a £25 guarantee towards the proposed winter show, and asking for further information. It was decided to instruct sub-committees to prepare a list of approved judges for submission to tho Agricultural Conference. Messrs J. D. Nathan, S. R. Dancaster J. O. Batchelar and S. W. Luxford were elected vice-presidents of the association. Messrs D. Crozier, T. Bastin and C. Cuming were elected members. Mr J. G. Wilson and the incoming president were appointed the association’s delegates to the forthcomins Agricultural Conference. • Tho privileges in connection with the autumn meeting of the Manawatu Racing Club were sold to-day by Mr H. Palmer. Mr Proctor secured the publicans’ booths at £SO £ol, the refreshment stall brought £5 and the public stand £lO, the total being . AidThe important question Of awarding prizes to unsound stock at agricultural shows was mentioned by Mr F. J. Ellis, the well-known horse-breeder, in a letter to the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and read at the meeting today Considerable discussion followed tho reading of the letter. The most reasonable method of overcoming xhe exhibition aud competition of unsound animals was made by Mr Standen, who suggested that it should be made compulsory for owners to exhibit a veterinary surgeon’s certificate of freedom from hereditary unsoundness pn bringing their animals into the show-ring. TlTe question and Mr Standen’s suggestion were referred to the forthcoming Agricultural Conference. Mr J. M. Johnston returned to Palmerston to-night from his visit to Southern racecourses to collect ideas in view of making tho appointments for the Manawatn Club’s new course as complete as possible. His visit, made partly in company with Messrs Wood and Hankins, has not impressed Mr Johnston with an idea of the superiority of Southern racecourse appointments, but, on the contrary, has convinced him that Northern clubs have little to learn from South Island course appointments. A few minor “wrinkles” have been picked up, but, generally, it would an-

pear that patrons of tho turf in this is-’ land have little to complain and a groat deal to be prouu of in the conveniences provided for them. When the report of the National Mortgage Company on tho pens of freezing bullocks shown at the late show, and afterwards killed, to be judged in London, was brought up at the Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s meeting to-day,' Mr Hoddor proposed a vote of thanks to tho company for its work in the matter. It was pointed out that credit for the splendid manner in which the beef was prepared was due to tho manager of the Longburn Works, Mr Anderson, and the butchers under him, who did tho practical work. A vote of thanks was passed to the company, Mr Anderson and the butchers.who prepared the meat. At tho last show of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association a protest was entered against tho Shire stallion Bolingbroke 11., owned by Mr Greenhow, being awarded the first prize in his class, on account of his being over tho ago stated. A reply has been received from the English Shiro Horse Society, stating that the horse was foaled on tho date given by the owner. The English Society stated that at Home no official notice was taken of the month in which a horso was foaled, ago being always reckoned from January Ist. Thus, whether a horse is foaled in January, June or August, he becomes one year old on the Ist of January following. Tho majority of Shires are foaled in tho first six months of the year, but, naturally, there are exceptions, and Bolingbroke is evidently one of them. In England societies would not have a class for stallions foaled since August Ist of any year, as nearly all the animals foaled in. that year would he excluded from competition. An important discussion took place among tho committeemen of the A. and P. Association this morning on the subject of “trotting” at auctions, tho Land and Live Stock Auction Bill being before the meeting at the time. Mr .R. S. Abraham, in moving that a ! special committee, consisting of Messrs A. Russoll, R. Stevens, M. Cohen, Wallace and the mover, be appointed to consider tho Bill, declared that if passed in its present form the Bill would become a dead letter. Certain provisions of the Bill would be useful, and fresh clauses might be introduced which would be of value. ' He believed the clauses directed, against “trotting’" were absolutely useless, and in this particular district were not require'! at all, for the simple fact that “trotting” was practically unknown to local auctioneers. He could not, of course, speak far the South Island. They knew that a man selling stock sometimes got a friend to “trot” for him, but that difficulty could not be dealt with. Mr Wilson thought that the whole difficuly was to be found in the second clause, which reads that “it shall be the duty of an auctioneer when offering land or live stock of any kind for sale by auction to distinctly name tho vendor, and also the last bidder at the sale, whether tho land or live stock is actually sold or not.” Mr Abraham pointed out that there was no difficulty in applying the clause to land sales, but with stock there was a very grave objection. It would mean that a man who Las a greater knowledge of stock than his fellows would receive no benefit from his special knowledge. It was well known how, as soon as a certain man made a bid for stock, other bids would bo immediately produced, whereas the bid of another man would produce no effect whatever. There were many buyers who were shy about bidding publicly, and who preferred scratching " their nose, or some other portion of their anatomy, as a signal for a bid, and he doubted if they would agree to have their names being given out. Mr Abraham’s motion was carried.