THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1929. A COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE.

Wairarapa Age, 11 April 1929, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1929. A COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE.

As yet the executive and other committees of the Wairarapa Industrial and Art Exhibition have of necessity been engaged chiefly on preliminaries, but they appear to have got through a considerable amount of useful work and are now at the point of being able to open out upon a vigorous space-dis-posal campaign. If the tight response is made (by those engaged in district industries, it will not be long before there are satisfactory assurances of an even, more successful exhibition this year than in 1927. The measure of support given on this occasion will, of course, go far to determine whether it is practicable and worth while to aim at housing a regular annual exhibition in a permanent building erected for the purpose. The vital condition of success in this important community enterprise is an effective determination on the part of those engaged in .secondary industries in this district to build up and largely extend the present scale of their operations. If the view is to prevail that this district must continue to depend almost solely upon agricultural and pastoral industry, the exhibition enterprise will develop within somewhat narrow restrictions and limitations. In fact, however, the Wairarapa is am excellent field for the development of secondary industries, in close touch and association, as such industries should be, with primary production. It may be hoped that as time goes on, an annual exhibition of the products of district industries will stimulate industrial development, and that this development will ensure a steady expansion in the scale and importance of the exhibition. Supported as it should be, the exhibition undoubtedly will become a very important factor in stimulating and encouraging the growth of industries throughout the district. The Art Section, which is again being promoted with creditable energy and enterprise, has its own well-grounded claims to attention and support. THE REPERTORY SOCIETY. A suggestion made by Mr Harison Cook after the highly successful performance given under his direction by members of the Wellington Repertory Theatre (Society in the Opera House last evening well deserves to be taken up and considered in the .spirit in which it was made. During the last three years, the Wellington Society has demonstrated that it is capable of

producing adequately and attractively plays of a ind that are commercially impossible, though they are splendidly worth producing. An alliance such as Mr. Cook suggested with this enterprising body of artists is greatly to bo desired. Much df the best in modern drama is to be seen only, if it is to be seen at all, on the boards of the repertory theatre. The people best able to consider and deal wtih Mr. Cook’s overture no doubt are the members of the Masterton Amateur Theatrical >Society, who have themselves built up a very creditable record of dramatic achievement. It will be interesting to hear what the local Amateurs think about Mr. Cook’s suggestion that a branch of the Repertory Theatre Society should be formed in Masterton.