THE SHOW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10925, 14 November 1913, Page 6

THE SHOW.

PEOPLE'S DAY. THE GREATEST DAY OF ALL THE YEAR. Ib is complained that one People's Day is the .same as all other People's Days, and that this great and glorious institution is slumped with a.u unchangeablencss which becomes alxsolutolv monotonous. Tho complaint it) the senseless complaint of tho churl and tho curmudgeon. That which is pcriect, cannot be. mado better, and People fl Dux can be neither changed nor improved. As a matter of Inct, it cannot bo judged by comparisons, for there is nothing with winch to compare it, Tho' futility of complaining that it is always the'same is demonstrated when an attempt is made to bring a change about. The. imagination is staggered by the impossibility of the task, tho utter preposterousness of the mere suggestion. People's Day stands alone. There is nothing like it, nothing tnat approaches it in character. His a unique institution, a public privilege, a finite thing, a treasured national possession, and a joy forever. To-day, it is the same in all essential respects as it was in previous years, and thousands of men, women and children from town, and country aro enjoying it with the same zest and enthusiasm. Tho weather is the best of all possible weathers. Tho summer heat is tempered by the cool breezes that blow in from the sea, and it is neither too hot nor too cold, too bright nor too dull. There were manv peoglc, obviously, who had made up theirfminds to get from the day all it could give. They arose' in good time, put on their purpio and fine linen, and were on the Show Grounds bright and early. They wished to lose nothing, and nobody begrudged them the full measure of amusement they claimed. By ten o'clock, these early birds wero present in their thousands. An hour later, tramcars wero filling in the Square, and were running out in quick, succession. By noon, the route to tho Show Grounds was in a commotion. All tho way along Lincoln Road there was the indescribable roar of traffic, all going in the same direction. Tramcars thundered on the rails, motor-cars and taxicabs rushed past with many hoots, bicycle bells tinkled, horsemen clattered along the road, and occasionally there was "a fare in a hansom cab, a vehicle which, apparently, soon will see Peoples Davs no more., It was a show in itself to stand and watch the traffic, to marvel at the splendour of the latest mo-tor-cars, to mix with tho crowds on the tramcars, and to note the expressions on the faces.

Tho stream poured in at the gates and flowed over tho ground?. Early in the afternoon the attendance was largelv increased. At three o'clock the Show "was at its height, and young and old participated in its manifold attractions. The stock was inspected as usual, and wise and foolish comments were passed on the condition of the fat cattle, the sheep, the horses, and, of course, the pips. It is the rule to take the stock first, beginning with the sheep, going on to the cattle, then to the horses in the far boxes, and returning past the cattle to the pig pens. This takes the best part of an hour. Then the grounds aro crossed to the implement section, where much time mav be spent with both profit and pleasure. Then back to the avenue, and down one side and up the other, through tho tents > and stands, and past sundry small exhibits. The serious side of the day is then done with and there is a plunge into the distractions of the side-shows. What would People's Day be without the cheap-jacks? Who would subdue their roices or stop their clamour? Who would begTudge them their profits on the sale of trumpery jewellery and make-believe articles of use? Who woukj not forgive them for "taking down " an unwary individual here and there? People's Day owes a lot to them. With alert police officers to keep them well within bounds, they may be allowed to live and flourish and add to the day's attractions. They aro run close bv the entertainments in the tents. 'There are boxing and jiu-jitsu contests, buck-jumping, lady circusriders, clowns, tame wild animals, and ail the rest of it, giving to the day's proceedings a deeply human touch. From a strictly matter-of-fact point of view, People's Day may not count for much. That is to .say, nearly all the work of the show has been done before it comes round. On Wednesday there are preparations, and on Thursday the exhibits are judged and classified and the prizes are given out. There is little left for Friday, and that little can be done in a very short time. But sentimentally the day is the most important of all. It has entered into the life of the community, has taken its place at the head of the year's holidays, and, oil account of its gaiety, its good-nature, its lasting influence, the friendships it cements, aaid the happy sentiments it creates, it is the very last day of the whole 865 the community could dispense with. Yesterday's tramway traffic in connection with the show and the trotting races has not yet been reduced to exact statistics. The tramway office states, however, that there were between sixty and seventy car-loads of passengers taken, and the number of passengers was probably in excess of those carried on the second day of the show last year.

SHEEP DOGS. In the sheep dog section tha entries this year were exactly the same in number as last 3 - ear. A total of sixteen dogs does not make this section really representative of Canterbury, where, if anywhere, good dogs should he numerous. One or. two entries did not eventuate, and in only one class, bearded dogs, was there any real competition. In that particular class the animals shown were true to type and of a good standard? S. H. Pearce's Toss, which won in this class last year, had to yield pride of place on this occasion to E. J. Waugh's Gyp, a smaller animal of a good type. In the roughhaired class the entries showed a reduction of 50 per cent when compared with those of last year. The winner, C. Wood's Monte, was a good dog, and would have done well in any company. The results were as follow : Bough-haired (3)— C. Wood's Monte 1, D. G. Stalker's Jock 2. Smooth-haired (5) —B. Waller's Lassio 1, G-. N. M'Lcan's Dick 2, D. G-. Stalker's Fay v h c. Bearded (B)—E. J. Waugh's Gyp 1. S. H. Pierce's Toss 2, S. H. Pierce's Maori v h c. RUSTICS, RUBES AND RESPONBIBLES PATRONISE THE SHOWMEN; Rustics and rubes and some sane, people opened their mouths wide and took in the.patter of the peripatetic side-show man with gusto. With eyes and ears strained they gazed and listened while brawny men" with bulgy calves, shown to advantage in a gaudy tighets, boomed eloquence through megaphones. All the old favourites wero there, and some- new ones. All were much after the usual style, and possessed the usual qualities of cheap glitter and tawdry nnshness- The pride of place as far as sheer multitude of words was concerned was held by a young man with gold teeth, who gave away Brummagem watches and jewellery with frantic generosity. Jn a torrent of broken English one took his audience, severally and collectively, into his confidence. He sold broken combs and valueless ornaments to confiding persons for a sovereigu a time, and ihen to show his sense or gratitude at the trust reposed in him by the speculators, he- loaded them with clocks, wafches, jewel cases and other

possessions and returned their money. After a short course of this philanthropy the crowd got as trustful as little children and. poured sovereigns on tho orator for things worth threepence, confident that, filled with gratitude at their generosity, ho would return the money and an honorarium. Whether ho did return it or not is another matter. Ladies with passionate eyes and charming rouge cheeks took people into their tents and unfolded the future before their astonished gaxe. Having delved in all the mysteries of tho Orient, they naturally wore able to toll everything, from the colour of a man's wife's hair to what he had had for breakfast. They wero all Egyptian, hut, by some chance, had cockney accents. Quoit-players got their chance of ringing ornaments with their implements, and every time they ringed an exhibit they collected a dividend. An enterprising person with a little bowling skill could have got a corner in cocoamits with the supplies cut off, as they are by the strike, and "free" jewellery was a drug. All the showmen were philanthropists. There was the long line of tents along the nnn'li-east fence, which collected the crowd. At the beginning a "professor," bu'ky-bodie'S, stood on tho platform with a lady, passee but charming, the usual clown, and a degenerate-look-ing Chinaman by his side. The lady, he explained, punched a bag very nicely, and the Chinaman was a jiu-jitsu expert. Another "professor"—they all, apparently, held chairs at some obscure university—showed a picture outside the tent of his own feat of shooting a gaudily-coloured cheetah "in wildest Africa." He also showed "the only performing pigs in the world,'' which had excited the enthusiasm of all the crowned heads of Europe. But this was only a side line, for, as the "sprniker" announced, there were real cowboys and cowgirls from Montana, and this statement was born out by tho real sheepskin trousers of tho gentlemen themselves when they appeared. Jiu Jitsu could be seen in any tent,- demonstrated not only by men, but by sweet young things modestly sunning themselves in tights, and a decapitated'" princess," the Maharanee Nana-, was on view. However, she was so attached to her country that slio had left her heart there, and also the rest of her body and was only represented, so the showman said, by her head, which was capable of carrying on a conversation on its own. So that all tho marvels of the universe were collected on the ground, and the rubes took it hi, and tho sane people saw the humour of it, and no one was any the worse. (Published by Arrangement.) PAYNTER ANDHAMILTOX. Messrs Paynter and Hamilton, architects, corner of Tuam and Durham Streets, have an exceedingly fine collection of plans of varied sizes and designs, showing specimens of work as designed and carried out by them. These designs show how artistic and homely the house can be made at a comparatively low cost. A fine display of figured rimu, fitted as panelled interiors, is made, the chief aim in this being to show the superior effect of this New Zealand wood as an interior finish for the home. The fact that Messrs Paynter and Hamilton design and carry on the work of building from

start to finish has-immensely simplified the task of house-building for the inexperienced, and must consequently meet with the approval of all. Messrs Paynter and Hamilton have made a special study of the designs, construction and equipment of the country house and cottage, and although they will erect a week-end bungalow or cottage they are continually engaged on the erection of the larger country residences. They attack the problem of home.building with an efficient organisation and in this way are able to supervise all the work and take responsibility on the most economical and labour-saving devices. The reason for their success is that they give superior workmanship at competitive prices. ROVER MOTOR-CYCLE. Mr Jock Suckling, of Manchester Street, has suffered slightly through his new season's shipment of Rover motor-cycles being delayed hy the strike, but by the courtesy of his clients he has been able to exhibit some machines and also the Speedy cycle which Phil O'Shea rode when he won the Timaru-Christchurch Road Race. The Rover is so popular among motor-cyclists that it is not in need of any extensive advertising. Tho long list of tests, reliability runs, and hill climbs that have been won hy users of this famous machine speaks volumes for its capabilities. The Rover holds the twenty-four hours record for England, the "twelve hours record for Australia, and others too numerous to mention. The various honours of the machine are well known. The old 1911 model of the Rover was a beautiful and superbly built machine, but the model of 1913 is much more superior. Perhaps what strikes one most is the silence of the Rover. With this machine it is possible to be as eulogistic as one likes and then not exaggerate. Nothing adds more to the popularity of motor-cycles than their quietness," and it is for this reason that the Rover besides being a joy to its rider is doing tho motor-cycle business a very definite service. Now a word for "the Speedy cycle. The Timaru-Christchurch Road Race is still fresh in the minds of the public, and Phil O'Shea's famous win is even more so. The fact> that he rode a "Speedy" is not to be too lightly passed over. O'Shea has consistently ridden a " Speedy" now in all bicycle races, and though he has tried other makes he is a thorough believer in this splendid, easy-running, and wellbuilt machine. Over £IOOO has now been won by Phil O'Shea on his "Speedy." Visitors to tho show today should inspect the display of Messrs Storev and Co., where the Rover motor-cycle and the " Speedy" machine may bo inspected. THE CHRISTOHUROH MEAT COMPANY, LIMITED. On the main pathway from Road, just inside the gates, on the left is a t'astefullv arranged display of "C.M.C." brand table delicacies, produced and displayed by the Christchurch Meat Comnany. Limited. Sheeps' tongues in lib and 21b tins, and in lib glass jars, minglo with tins of various kinds of canned meats, relieved here and there by the white of attractive porcelain jars, containing the well-known "C.M.C." brand extract of meat. On ail these goods id to bo seen plainly marked, the ■'C.M.C." brand, which, it is justly claimed, is the hall-mark of purity and quality.' Extract of meat, which tho company is making a speciality,_ is rapidly rising in public favour, its_ superiority over tho imported brands of meat extracts and beef teas being universally recognised. The uso of "C.M.'C." extract of meat is being extended to include the flavouring of sout>s, sauces, gravies, etc., a use for which it is proving eminently satisfactory . Of groat interest to the farming community is the lino showing of "Eclipse" brand fertilisers, which include "the following specially prepared mixings for the. crops mentioned': —Islington grain fertiliser, for wheat, barley and oats; Islington rape fertiliser, for rape, grass and green crops; Islington "Ti" turnip fertiliser, for light land; Islington "G" turnip fertiliser, for eood land; Islington "M" turnip ferti'iser, for heavy land; Islington "R" turnip fertiliser, for _ wet land : Islington potato_ _ fertiliser ; Islington mangel fertiliser: Islington' superphosphate;. _ Islington bonedust: Islington special mixing fertiliser (half superphosphate, half bonedust). As an indication of the extent to which Canterbury farmers avail themselves of scientific methods of agriculture, it is stated that the company's annual output of manures is about 0000 tons. Among olhor items of interest oji

tho stand are samples of Neatsfoot oil, show-cards, illustrativo of the company's productions of table delicacies, and diplomas showing that "(151.0." goods more than hold their own in all parts of the world. Mention should certainly not be omitted of a very fine pair of horns, which crowns a very line display indeed.