THE POULTRY SHOW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 5

THE POULTRY SHOW.

To thc Editor. Sir.—Being an exhibitor and also a visitor at the recent Christchurch Poultry .'■•how, 1 was impressed with the excellence of the arrangements—and those responsible for tho running of the show are to be congratulated on tho way all tho arrangements were carried out—but there is one question sir, upon which I would like to express myself very strongly, as the matter not only affects your local show, but all such fixtures throughout the country. I was an exhibitor in the Utility Minorca Section, and was fairly successful, and mv remarks are not written in any complaining spirit. In the pullet section, it was very obvious, that the winning bird (although a very fine specimen) was overweight, and had the judging been carried out according to the standard would have been passed over; The schedules issued by tlio societies state that the judging is to be carried out according to the utility standard, and the instructions to judges in such standard are very clear, i.e . that a bird being overweight “must” be passed—but the judge in this particular case told me that ho did not bother about the instructions given, but “used bis own discretion.” This, sir, is a deplorable position for a judge to take up—and it is high time thc Poultry Association took thc matter up, as the position at present and atttude of some judges is ridiculous, and many exhibitors in Utility Sections are becoming very dissatisfied. 1 may sny that last year I won the South Island Championship with a cockerel at Temuka, and the next week at Christchurch he was disqualified for being overweight, and this year the position is reversed. We are told to breed birds according fo the standard, but it appears to me that we must exhibit according to the “ whims” of the several judges. I think, sir, that where Utility Judges refuse to make their awards in accordance with the very c-lear instructions given in thc standard, then such judges should not be asked to officiate.—l am. etc., R. 11