NOT UNDERSTOOD

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 498, 21 July 1932, Page 4

NOT UNDERSTOOD

WINTER SHOW PRESIDENT HITS OUT RETAILERS LACKED ENTHUSIASM, HE SAID The President of the Stratford \ Winter Show was twitted at the meeting of members of the flerieral committee last night with regard to certain remarks he made at the presentation of the Association's shield for the Farm Court Competition to Wharerrjia at a so-

cial last Friday evening. Mr. W. Hardy-Jones challenged Mr Davey to repeat the charge made against the townspeople. "Do you want me to get into trouble?" replied the president facetiously. "The challenge should hot be ahlowed to bo ignored," said Mr. A. E. Moss. "I have every respect for. the president, who worked like a Trojan all through," he said, "but I think he made a bad slip at Wharehuia.' My own opinion is that the townspeople helped us a good deal in the Way of e'ntries and members' tickets.". In reply, Mr. Davey said that ■his complaint was not against the townspeople, but against the retailers. He had expressed thanks to two .sections of the tradespeople—butchers and grocers —who had made beautiftil window displays, but stated that the balance had not assisted the association'in any shape or form, or even helped themselves, as they would have done if they had helped the association. He had made special inspections of ■ the shop windows on Thursday and Friday nights during the show and could see nothing special in the way of decorations. It was disgraceful the way the business people of the town treated us, he said, but the whole of the townspeople patronised the show well, and several firms made rpecial efforts for exhibiting at the show. His remarks had been camouflaged in one paper to such an extent that he did not recognise them as his own. He had expected as a result of that report that there would be an argument in the correspondence column of the paper, and had that, been so he would have stirred them up. Mr. Davey spoke of the special displays made by the Palmerston North people during their Winter Show period, almost every shop being decorated in a manner that was a credit to the tradespeople. Seeing that we try to do everything to help the town and have to pay our own expense*, it says little for those people who have never assisted the Association, he saiu. One year, he continued, he spent much time trying to persuade the drapers to put up a show of New Zealandmade goods, and although one or two were in favour, others when they learned it would cost them about a pound each closed the discussion at once. This year they were worse in tin's respect. 'lt won't be worse next year!" concluded Hir. Davey, significantly. Mr. R. D. Milne endorsed the president's remarks concerning Palmerston North's attractive shop displays at the Winter S;how this year.