The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, MAY 22, 1889. A FOOD RESULT,

Patea Mail, Volume III, Issue 40, 20 May 1889, Page 2

The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, MAY 22, 1889. A FOOD RESULT,

The result of. the Annual General Meeting of the Patea District Agricultural and Pastoral Association cannot be said to be of a satisfactory nature. That the Association has languished somewhat of late goes without saying, and if the management has always been conducted in tho spirit which characterised the debate at the last general meeting this iesu : t is tho only one that could he expected. The proposal to giro the Society “ a rest ” for a year or two to enable members’ subscriptions to overtake tiro indebtedness is one which can have no other meaning than allowing it to drop out of existence, for it is not to be supposed that members • are going to continue their adherence to an association the sobobject of which is, admittedly, to extort from each member an annual subscription of ono piouud (Pi). There are very few people who cannot lind a better use for a one'pound note than to deposit it with the Secretary of an objectless society, It may be worth the time necessary' to rend it to know that the Society’s shows, purely as shows, have never yet been a loss to tho Association, and although the present liabilities are heavy as cump ired with the genuine-, available ] assets it is only fair to bear in mind how these liabilities were formed, and to place tho burden on the proper back and not blame “ show losses ” for them. It is not as easy as it should be to trace the financial positions of the Association, as there does not appear to be any period of its history until lately at which the boo ■ s have been completely closed, but so far as is ascertainable the Association had a good working credit balance at the bank up to .■-opt, oiith, 1880, at which date its credit figures Avero £4l Is 7d. To prepare for tho slioav iu that year a very large expenditure was made (we presume in moving and re-erecting yards, etc.) which, it could not, under any circumstances, be anticipated Avould be recouped unless reasonable interest Avas taken iu the future of tho Association, In the year under notice there appears to have been spent £149 10s lid on “ya.ds and grounds,” audit is tho load, thus started, that tho .Society has been staggering'undor ever since. Tho show itself iu that year 3 7 eilded a small profit, but then some trouble

was taken Avith it, and prizes amounting to .-£ll3 2s Od Avero paid aAvay and £3O Is Od Avas paid for a dinner of which, hoAvever, £ls is bd avus received for sale of tickets. The receipts absolutely for the show Avcre Tibi lbs 2d, the total expenditure being £143 bs Ucb In the years 1881-85 the net result of annual sLoavs is not very apparent, hut so far as ascertainable there Avas a direct profit on them. In 1886 and 87 the not gain iu the tAvo years is shewn as £b3 12s lid. Noav in coming to the last slioav the result is slightly different, but the difference is easily accounted for. For the ’BB slioav the total receipts Avere £llß 3s bd, (of which sum Avith credit be it said, £sl it's bd Avero sjjociul donations from non-member--•. and others), Tho expenditure amounted to £l3B 12s 1 id, but this includes £2 1 8s 3d for neAV hurdles, four fifths of which were never used, ami which, under any circumstances, aie not fairly chargeable against any particular show. It would bo useless to lock upon last year's show a- any criterion for it was never “run” Avith any spirit from first to last, full meetings were never known, and compared avit h shows of neighbouring districts very siiit.il efforts Avere made iu bimu’ it ■under tho notice of the g aural mil■ side farming community, ami it must be- ever rcu-euiWied that in thoAvs ”

as well as every other business the public must, to sumo extent, judge them by the pr'eo sot ou them by the directors. ami if the instigators put them under a bushel they may bo very sure outsiders will do the same only 5 in a very much higher degree. It is so in everything—lot a business man , hide himself and his business and ho may be very sure the public will nor " look for him —and if an Association , wishes ft) hide itself and keep out of public sight, nothing is easier, jlist keep quiet, and it will be forgotten. This was done last year to a great cx- *’ ton!; with the result already noted, and if 11 1 0 policy now proposed of going without shows bo adopted the .Society will soon bo a thing of the - past. Wo do not feed sure that this would be an undivided evil if the ’ strength of the Association wore added b to some other existing society, but to let it die simply for the pleasure of ■ holding a title to its burying ground, we ionic upon as the quintessence of selfishness. If the dunolit uf local slows lias ceased to be apparent by all moans abolish them, but do so in a spirit of unselfish generosity, join ) hand and glove with some oilier ! society, and by giving increased sup- [ port and interest help to-keep alive die healthy emulation so absolutely . necessary to secure successful improveL ment in any direction.