LAST DAY OF BIG UNDERTAKING

Southland Times, Issue 24000, 15 December 1939, Page 13

LAST DAY OF BIG UNDERTAKING

Gate Receipts Exceed 1934 Total CHAMPIONSHIP JUMP DECIDED The curtain was rung down on the Centennial Royal Show of New Zealand last night on a note of extraordinary success. All features of the three days were worthy of the importance of the occasion which celebrated the completion of the first century of the country’s agricultural development and officials of both organizations responsible for the conduct of the show expressed satisfaction that Southland had in no uncertain manner upheld its reputation for rising nobly to any special effort. The weather remained fine for most of another warm and pleasant day at the show and there was a particularly large attendance for a third day, the receipts being almost double those for the final day of the 1934 Royal Show at Invercargill. Towards evening a shower occurred and this probably affected to some extent the attendance at the final evening entertainment, but it was evident that the public appetite for such programmes had been whetted by the events on the two previous nights and there was again a good crowd. Even before the evening pro gramme was begun the gate takings showed an increase of £250 on the total receipts in 1934.

The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) attended the show again yesterday and immediately before the grand parade he delivered an address from the grandstand. The afternoon programme of competitions attracted keen interest especially the final of the championship jump in which the 10 horses which had qualified from the original entry of 54 went over the jumps again. The championship ribbon was presented to the winner by Mrs J. S. Marshall, wife of the vice-president, who deputized for Mrs R. Kennedy, wife of the president of the association, who was unable to attend.