PALMERSTON NORTH.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4636, 15 April 1902, Page 6

PALMERSTON NORTH.

(By Our Special Reporter.) Monday. In view of the coming season and to meet the rapidly-increasing demand for butter, many of the dairy companies on this coast contemplate the erection of more creameries. Mr Johnston, the chairman of the Waverley Co-operative Dairy Company, who is at present on a visit to tins district, states that it is the intention of his company to proceed at once with the erection of four additional creameries to satisfy the requirements of dairy farmers in the Waverley district. The coming annual mooting of the A. and p. Association promises to prove the most interesting in the history of the society. There will be competition for tho presidency between Messrs R. S. Abraham and H. Gillies, and it is more than probable that two gent lemon will bo nominated for the oliico of treasurer, viz., Mr J. M. Johnston, who has filled the office for a number of years, and Mr Andrew Guy, the well-known solicitor. At a meeting of the, committee of the A. and F. Association on Saturday, a pig-breeder recapitulated in a letter a number of reasons for awarding tho points prize iu pigs to only one breed, Borkshires. His principal reason was that in one class a particular brooder scooped tho pool because he was prac-’ ticaliy the only brooder of Elio variety. Tho objector forgot two points, however, first that when ho was the only exhibitor of a certain variety lie-con-sistently swept the board himself, and secondly, that tho breed lie now objects to as having a say in tho points prize is considered by many authorities to bo the best variety yet introduced to tho colony, and as tho most valuable of all pigs for bacon purposes. The letter was referred to a sub-oomiiiittoe. The opportunity of establishing Palmerston as the centre of the dairying movement in the North Island has passed away. The people of Palmerston nave failed to give the National Dairy Associatiou the guarantee required to hold a winter dairy show, and in consequence the sliow and tho annual meetings and conferences of the National Dairy Associatiou and the Butter and Cheesemakers’ Association will be hold elsewhere, most probably in Taranaki. The people in that district have always extended a warm welcome to the kindred associations which represent tho great industry of their province. When the National Dairy Association held tho first dairying show in the North Island in July of last year the executive of that body selected Palmerston, as being tho most convenient and suitable rendezvous for dairy men in the southern end of this island. It was thought that the people of the place would i rise to tho occasion and assist a which must prove of material benefit to town and country alike. In this tho association was disappointed. The support received was paltry. As has been said before in this column, prominent agriculturists and townspeople overwhelmed leaders of tho dairying movement with expressions of sympathy and promises of support should Palmerston bo again “honoured” by. being selected as the annual trysting place of dairymen. But tho fulfilment has fallen far short of tho promise. The townspeople did very well, though tho sum guaranteed by some citizens was not what their expressions of sympathy led one to expect, while the miserable lack of public spirit displayed by otb -z who did not subscribe to the fond is a matter to bo remembered to their discredit. The chief blame in the matter rests with the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the committeemen of which contented themselves by promising £25 towards tho exhibition, a sum which they intended to save by deleting the classes for export , dairy produce from the schedule of their own show. It is tho clear duty of the association, as one of the more progressive members of its committee recently remarked, to forward every interest connected with the soil. There exists among the General Committee of tho society, however, two harriers to progression which are unworthy of those who’foster them. These are—a fooling of suspicion on the part of country' members against the town members, and a refusal on tho part of men representing the larger interests to taka any interest in questions affecting the smaller industries of the land. The ex istenco of these influences in the assn, ciation has been chiefly response for tho poor support accorded tho n inter show movement. The continuation tho conflicting influences so LsasHmis to the welfare of agricultural interests generally will, it is to he hoped, move members of the association to only return those members to the General Committee at the forthcoming meeting who have proved themselves to ba broad-minded and to be ever on the ia.de of progression, so that should an PP tunity such as that which has lost ever occur again, it nil! be taKen hold of, to the benefit of the and of the important industry of dairying in general. ____