THE OAMARU SHOW.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13450, 23 November 1907, Page 6

THE OAMARU SHOW.

IN NEW GROUNDS. (Our Special Reporter.)

The. North Otago A. and , P. Association are to be congratulated upon/ having fine weaifcher for the People's Day of their 45th. exhibition, because this was an introduction of the people to the Association's new ground. Visitors to previous shows will remember that the- old grounds were in many respects very convenient but much too small, so that the exhibits had' to be crowded;' arid! those grounds had the further disadvantages of bsingsome distance from the railway, and at ;;oms fil'-itutde. above-the line, both points which told when haulage was in qua;itoon. The pedestrian visitor was recompensed for Ihsi toil of climbing by fine views of the town and harbour. In May last yea,r the Association-purchased a. block of 52 acres of land, on the seaward side of the Main North road, a short distance R:diß Itha borough, arid a little north' of the woollen mills. The land is intersected bv the railway, which cuts off ten acres on the seaward side. This of course will pi'ovid? the railway facilities iso much needed hitherto, as. soon as the requisite sidings and p'atforms can be made. The balance of Ul9 22 acres be'ng more than liiie Association requiries for Hie show ground, a portion of it fronting on the main road has been surveyed off into building lots, with a wide avenue of approach to a portion next the railway, 14 acres. This has been fenced arid filled un n,<; the new Show Ground, and though 14 acres does nob sound large, the ground is certainly ample for a larger Show than the present generation is likely to see at Oa.maru. The fencing is of a substantial kind, wholly of corrugated iron, 9ft. high along three sides, and 12ft-. high a 7 ong the fourth, this fence forming a. wall to p. lone "range of !horfe stalls and boxes. A double row of stalls has been erected parallel with this, the .total of this shed accommodation being large enoaigh to: horse nearlv all the cattle and hordes exhibited this year. Substantial' sheep pens and roofed and floored pig-sties ha.ve been constructed. Prominent in the centre of the ground is a large and lofty grand stand, with seating accommodation for 12C0 people, a.nd just enough floor space to each seat to allow people to conveniently pass others who are seated, beneath the stand are two luncheon-rooms, secretary's and pressman's offices, and a roomy :>'tore for gear. At th-s rear is nlarge produce shed 80ft. by 50ft., fitted along one side witli spacious glass cases for butter and other food exhibits. All rhe>e rr.iiis have concrete floors, so that they are easily kept, clean. The judging ring, where the showy competitions also ta.ke place, is in front of the stand, and is a stoutly fenced oval 325ft-. long and 184 ft. wide—much mailer therefore than that of Tl.mxru ground, but. amply largfi enough for two .sets of judges to work in at once, and large onougti to permit of lumping contests and parades. A sloping bank of earth has been raised the whole way round it, for the conv-fHn-,enc° of spectators. This: was made about 6ft. wide, and that- width was estimated together

with, "the grand stand .to be sufficient to accohimodate '.all - sightseers. • Xesterday however it - proyed to, be insufficiient, and to ■be satisfactory • it. will have. to be widened. 'The wholef of the fixtures have been made thoroughly substantial, and the Association have good 'reason, to be* proud or them,' and .not less so because of the limited "time ~ that they have had. io _ get so much-work: carried out-. The purchase of • the ground; and'the outlay on itse preparation, 'have absorbed about £SOOO. There now -remains, apparently,'' only t-lief" provision of railway connections, which the Association's funds would not. permit of their - undertaking' for lliis year, and the/, smoothing r of . the ground, which has - poached. by -the' constructive ope.ra.tions.

-Tlie Committee of Management, provided a .liberal supply of prizes, totalling,' with £2l2' in priv-ate-'offers.,' £Bl7. The public of . the district: paid the' 'new ground the compliments of furnishing 'a. record list of .exhibits, • and a record'' Attendance on the second day. There liavi\' in different past ,yea l'S.i. been a, larger number of entries of- each several Iqrid, and the total of 979 has only been exceeded a few times, and this by reckoning' every item of ma--clii (*:eryinlnd Mindrieis. •' Machinery was alm'ost absent fit's year,'-.and the sundries ware "counted but. nine,, instead of hundreds, as' iri the earlier cases referred to.' \1 (hei entries of liorsns numbered 288, of cat'tlet 137, of she&p 197, of dairy produce 58, ■ 61' pig?J 25,- 'of grain 38, .of several smaller lines. 78. of .vehicles, implements and sundries 160. Tlie draught*, horses of the Oamaru district have long .beeii famous all over the Dominion, and the 'hundred and odd of them- shown this vear were well calculated' to uphold the reputation of'tlie.district. There, mw only five mature entires entered, 'and the judges. Messrs <T. Sne-all arid .J. ' Gooper, placed- first J. Patricks Pride jo£' Newton, a handsome bay roan nii imported horse;, and W. , Gardiner s Baron . Fyviei second. r ln S-yeai'-okls, H. Saunders Prince Robert was placed first and W.. Guilford's Merry Times' second llheve was a large' class - of 2-ye'ar-old colts, and •no • le*.s fthto five of the - dozen were awarded some mark of "special'. merit-, Mitchell; Bros., ■ Airedale, being first./ 'The bi'o.od mares, :23 of them in|vthree .classes,"' W r ere a grand lot, and first honours/'w'ero divided, Wi Gardiner, J. S. Wilson, and W. Gray and Son each getting a first. The' yearling, and '2. and.3 year ] old fillies, 15 in all, were worth v of their ' weighty. dams?; so • too we're tlia working gelding classes. Thoroughbreds! .were very few, -'while hacks and hunters • /with.. some cress entries ran over tha i In a numerous list hackvclaps.; Mr F; M.' Simmons, of Timaru, won-' first - place with his mare Mischief, and -Mr .'Ajx-S.. Obeli's Victory, lately the property -of; Mr Edgar, of Timaru, came out-third.; Mr Simmons' mare was third als'a rlS:: stone hack, and Victory first re a weight carrier.: K: G. Temple's Kowliai was placed :.third as a lady's hack. The hunters, tried over fences yesterday, . did not -give a very good' .exhibition!'.,:7>'lri' the' 14st." 'class J. Miller's Strathmorn. Was placed ahead of Victory, and --A.' M. Robertson's (Geraldine)' General' White. ,In the list class, Simmons'' Micliief -was first. E. G. Temple's Kowhai . was, a competitor, but • lost points.-; T'liere was'.a"good show of light harnejiV liorsEn, and also of ponies. .The cattle classes filled well, with 46 Shorthorn, and 54 Ayrshircs, 20 Jerseys arid- 27 " general. " entries -of fats. Mitchell' Bros., A. Douglas, W. P. 'Rei'd and B. Setli Smith • werer chief prize win-ners-i,n Shorthorns, and they irhowed' some very, fine; stock;. som.i; of the youngsters being very - fine ' animals as', well' as the older oncß. In Ayrsliires the red tickets for firsts ;were divided "among W Cowan, P. Ireland, and A. Gillies. "Tilery are some strong breeds of the Merino in North Otago, arid the Merino. . strong combing section was well represented by large,' well bred, ' well clad /sheep, sent-' in by two exhibitors, W. Gardiner and A. A. McMastei;, .who divided the hohoui i s ,; in both rams and ewes.' Border Leicesfcers were. tlie~ most' numerous variety, T. ;S! Little and N."'M. Orbell were the only , exhibitors, except in one class, and first lion ours were '""essy " between them- in the eight classes in which they mob, the former had the champion ram ; the' latter the champion ewe. T. §.' Little and D. Grant- (T-emuka), were the only competitors' in English Leicester. l ?, and where tliey met, the former always came out first,' though one -of Mr Grant's ewes was selected as " reserve champion.;' .The. N. Z. and A. Land Company (Moeraki),. and B.'" Setli-S'mith, showed Lineolrs. jjens of Shropwere nearly all I>. ' Seth 7 Smith's. The other exhibitor A. Douglbs, won no favours. The' Lartd Company and Stringfellow . strains .of Corriedales . met in four classes and the latter won®in every case. W. Bisfieb was the mcst successful 'exhibitor- of fat sheep. Five-arid-twenty entries of fugs illustrated the black Berkshire arid 1 white Yorkshire chiefly,, and these were, all shown by C. Brice, a very fine selection indeed. Mr Seth Smith sent-in a few of hi.s "'big black Devons. But. when it came to picked porkers, Mr Brice aupplied Tamworths. •" The produce. shed was welly though not by any means fully, occupied, with butter arid eggs, bread and scones, cakes and biscuits, filling long glass caoes, and a Rouble row ,of sacks of grain. MisS i Agnes Gray came out- first as a dairy-, maid, with Mrs .McDowell second, Mrs Belcher, again- being first for -fancy butter. /!H. S. Orbell took the. fiisfo for wheat, and W. Gardiner for oats each in several classes?. Some ■ handsome- carvings were exhibited for special prizes, ihe best- of them, were • seen in the Christchurch Exhibition.'-

The two Canterbury Freezing .Companies sent their show stands of meats, manures and' other, by-products,- the N.O. "Farmers' Co-operative " had a large. tentful of waxes,, and several other mercantile firms were similarly represented.. The most interesting section of the manufactured exhibits was that of the carriage builders. Searle and- Gibb had long rows of articles/ of several kinds; J. Cunningham a good many, Colville and Pres]and, end G. Dash (Waimate) a couple each. The motor ear has riot yet made so many converts in the Gamarn as in the Timaru district, the switchback rOads being against them ; but town and country people alike evidently appreciate nice-look-ing and comfortable gigs. Rubber tyres are■ much in evidence; vehicles are modified in form; on request, to suit individual fancy or convenience; and the material and workmanship are of the best. The most notable of these exhibits was an ambulance 'imported from London by Searle and Gibb; in external appearance a doctor's brougham, but fitted very conveniently as an ambulance.- This har; bee>n got for the Oamaru Ambulance Brigade, at a cost of about £l6O. An exhibition of its ure was given in the show ring.