SHOW AND FAIR

Southland Times, Issue 20772, 13 May 1929, Page 4

SHOW AND FAIR

Interest in the Winter Show has quickened, and at the same time the prospects of May Fair are being more enthusiastically canvassed. Although the two functions occur in the same week they are really not related, and this year the distinction is sharpened by the fact that one follows the other. The Winter Show will attract the people of a serious turn of mind, and its aim is to encourage among farmers a friendly competition in the production of seasonable crops, and dairy products with the ultimate object of improving the general standard. As in the case of. summer shows success must be judged, not by the number of people who pay for admission to the show, but by the influence it has on the land. It is not enough that the South land A. and P. Association by ingenuity and energy should show a favourable balancesheet or that the quality of the exhibits should be high, though both arc desirable, because the real purpose is to be sought on the land itself and so one of the prime considerations is the distribution of the entries about the province. Two or three enthusiastic farmers may supply entries enough to provide keen competition among exhibits of high quality, but unless their efforts give an incentive to others and. produce more competitors in later years the effort is very largely wasted. Measuring the Winter Show by this standard the Southland A. and P. Association should not be discouraged. The entries this year, taking all the circumstances into account, are very satisfactory, and interest in the show should be keen. Essentially a farmers’ exhibition, the people of Invercargill should be interested, because this town’s prosperity depends on the condition of those on the land, and their encouragement of the Winter Show is of even greater importance to themselves than their enjoyment of May Fair. After the more sober events of the Winter Show comes the carnival of May Fair, in which merriment and carelessness are the most potential factors. As we have said before, it is useless to attempt to tie May Fair to sober dignity. The essence is a sober lack of dignity and a carefree determination to enjoy innocent fun without interference with the pleasures of others. A certain amount of liberty is necessary, noise, frivolity, burlesque, nonsense, but not. license. May I* air’s success depends on the capacity of a people to enjoy themselves without license. In previous years there have been some complaints about undue horseplay, but these have been checked. A few irresponsibiles are the cause of these unhappy features, but they must remember that their misdeeds endanger their opportunities for fun in the future, because there can be no May Fair unless the people as a whole are in favour of them, and their favour will last only so long as they are enjoyable.