OPENING OF SHOW

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1930, Page 15

OPENING OF SHOW

CEREMONY IN AFTERNOON SPEECHES OF GOODWILL WORK OF THE EARLY FOUNDERS. MR. AMBURY’S CONGRATULATIONS. The twenty-first New Plymouth winter show of the Taranaki Metropolitan Agricultural Society was opened by Mr. W, Ambury, Auckland, in the Coronation Hall yesterday afternoon. All the morning many people were busy erecting their stalling and arranging their exhibits, and by the afternoon the show was in full swing. There was a fairly large attendance of the public in spite of the showery weather. The president of the society, Mr. H. "C. Sampson, welcomed Mr. Ambury and the public. The Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths) on behalf of the citizens congratulated the society 'on the progress Of the show. Mr. Ambury, who was president of the society when the New Plymouth winter show was first held, then officially opened the show. The entries at the show this year are of record standard in both number and quality. The trade exhibits have taken up every inch of available space and the society was forced to decline several applications through want of room. The motor sho.w is again remarkable for the completeness and modernity of its display, and the yard is filled with sideshows.

It gave him great pleasure, said Mr. Sampson, to welcome Mr. Ambury to the twenty-first winter show. No doubt Mr. Ambury and the other founders never dreamed the show would progress as it had. He himself could well remember the small winter show in the old drill hall. The show was then called Mr. Ambury’s "baby.” Mr. Ambury must be proud of its present manhood. The only trouble the show was suffering from in its young manhood was growing pains. There was not room enough for it . to expand as it wanted to. Before introducing Mr, Ambury the president read a congratulatory telegram from the Hon. S. G. Smith, M.P., and an apology for absence from Mr. G. V. Tate, the oldest living member of the society. PROGRESS OF THE SOCIETY. ■On behalf of the citizens the Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths) congratulated the society on its progress and wished it many happy returns of the day. There had been many changes in New Plymouth in the past but one of the greatest changes, largely brought about by the show, had been in the relations between the town and country people. The show had built up their friendship. He congratulated Mr. Ambury on the great work he had done for the show. He trusted that the show would continue as his lasting memorial. “No one Is so glad as I am to be here among so many old friends,” said Mr. Ambury, “but I had hoped His Excellency the Governor-General would have been standing here instead of me. Lord Bledisloe knows the farming industry from A to Z. But he will be here before the show is over and will be glad, I know, to meet the people. •‘I wish to congratulate the committee on the splendid exhibition,” continued Mr, Ambury, - "The decorations, especially the ‘winter’ decorations, are beautiful.” The butter exhibition he considered remarkable; there were 50 entries with only half a point’s difference among them all. He' could say the same about cheese; there were 40 entries with only one point’s difference. The same applied to the root produce, which was fit for any show in New Zealand or Australia.

The show owed a great deal to the ladies. The ladies had made the show. They had catered for the first winter show and they were still catering. The arts and crafts section, the fancy work classes, the work of the boys’ and girls’ clubs and the work of the ■primary school children were all outstanding.

NAMES OF THE FOUNDERS. "I was a member of the show committee in 1889 and lately I have been thinking of the early days of the show. Names of those who worked for the show then come back to me in swarms. There were the Andrews, Atkinson, Baylys, Bellringers, Bremer, Bishops, Bocock, James Connett, Cornwalls, Courtney, Cliff, Colsons, Captain Capel, Cottiers, Dingle, Davidson, Dew, Foreman, Foote, Fantbam, Georges, Gibson, Grooby, Hoskins, Honeyfields, Hill, Heslop, Hastie, Hulke, Hamblins, Jurys, Julians, Newton King, Thomas Kelly, Luscombe, Luxton, Morrow, Mitchell, Newland, Needham, Newsham, Newman, Okeys, Olsons, Oxenham, Oliver, Purdy, Putts, Price, Pote, Phillips, Rutherford, Richards, Rus«els, Rook, 0. Samuel, Sampsons, Salway, Streets, Sarten, Shaw, Tisch, Vickery, Websters, Western, T. and H. Weston, "Watson, Yates. “These men —the seniors of these men —have passed. They have left their children to carry on this show. Many of you may remember them and remember how hard they worked to make the show a success over 40 years ago with a few sheep, pigs, horses and cattle. To-day the show has. grown. into this. I hope you will enlarge your hall and let the show grow still bigger, “I think also this afternoon of the old committeemen who battled in the oast and are still battling—the Brownes, the Sampsons and the Connetts, I wish ■some of the young men so eager for the good of the show, who died in the war. could come back and see it as it is now. It is the duty of the young people to carry .it on.” Mr. Ambury declared the show open and then cut the giant birthday cake.