AGRICULTURAL AS= SOCIATION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 7565, 8 May 1919, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL AS= SOCIATION.

AUTUMN SHOW DECIDED UPON.

POLICY OF PROGRESS.

The first meeting of the recently «le»« jg ted committee of the Wanganui Agri- , V cultural Association was held yesterday. "■■ The new President, Mr W. J. Poison, was cordially welcomed to the chair by •* Mr Claud Smith, Mr Poison expressed gratitude fbi the welcome extended to him. At the* y last annual meeting the retiring president said that after four years of strenuous work he had not succeeded in working up the Show as satisfactorily as he had hoped, and in his disap- ;* point ment the speaker sympathised with him, as he recognised the energy -1 tvith which Mr Russell and his com- ;■ mittce had worked. The speaker felt it was presumptuous for him to take the position, and the task would pcr r -^ haps be too great unless he was assured "i of the goodwill and co-operation of the „ « committee, the farmers, and the towns- " -a people. To make a show a success H*,' , > meant strenuous work and putting their \ shoulders to the wheel, otherwise it ,;[ 'j could not be a success. The Associa- .';. tion had to build something up, some- * .1 thing that has not been m existence - . f t for a number of years. It meant hare ./£ work and sticking together. '$ AUTUMN SHOW. | Proceeding, the President Mlid he , j| would urge an Autumn Show,- 4 to be • .:« held in the first half of February, in ?| conjunction with a carnival week, which J could include the races, a regatta on. attractive lines, with a water gymk- ■ j hana, and other aquatic «vents, for .' which the river was pre-eminently suit- ■ -1 able; a trotting meeting^and an ath- ■? letic meeting. It was possible there t oould also be arranged a. musical and || elocutionary competition ■■ during th« t { week, also a, Ram Fair. Such an at. tractive week would attract a great; i* many people to Wanganui. There wav also the fact that many people would not'send stock exhibits to a Show un- , less they came themselves, and a car* nival week would be an extra induce- , ment to them. Most of the leading Shows were held in the spring, and fad* Show had its clientele, of exhibitors. The average exhibitor selected two or three shows to send his stock ( to, and not eight or a dozen shows. ■ It was difficult to get exhibitors to d<V> j, extra showing. With an Autumn Show . , in Wanganui there would-be less com- - ; petition with the T>ig shows.. In Fob- ' \- ruarv shows were held at Pahiatua, \*' VeMwg, Masterton; Te^Puke, TaJhape, t-> Taumprunui, Dannevlrke, Hawk*'* ,s■'> Bay, Egmont, Franklin, and Taranaki. "i Out of that number the only shown that would concern Wangaoui would ": be Feilding and Masterton, t and a gt local rliotv would not clash with them. One of the main questions to deal with ■ was the question of a new Show ground. Mr Claud Smith moved, and Mr F.Allen seconded that the Show he held in February next, on the new Show- v , ? grounds. Mr Allen said that, in February tho , farmers were over the shearing, and they could put more time in at a chow. Stock from the baeik country would' ' '" be in better order, compared with the ~ spring. . ' ' Mr I) McGregor consideiped an Au- . tumn Show did not suit agricultural farmers, and there would also be th» lack of trucking facilities: GETTING READY, Mr I>. Ross moved as *an amendment (hat the next Show be held in spring. He said he favoured autohnn shows, but he consideredjthe new Show-pyounil could not be cot ready for Febnmiy next. Even, if the Show were held in the spring for this year, the Carnival could still follow. Under present circumstances it was impossible to hold ftn Autumn Show at a siuta»ble^date at the racecourse. He considered it would take at deast 12 months to get the new Shr>w-pround ready. Mr. T. H. James considered it would ' take 15 to 18 months to get the ground •^ady, owing to the need of consolidation. • The-4 President said the buildings coxild be erected in six months, and the ground got ready in nine months, if necessary. He considered that now was the time to push on with "the scheme. Mr Claud Smith Raid that even if ! things- were not in apple-pie order »t /, the first Show, the public would put up with a Httlo when they realised ultimately what the Show would be. Mr H. G. Lewis said finance was tho crux of the question. Tho President said he believed an Autumn iJhow could be made one of the most successful in New Zealand. As for us the agricultural farmers "were **<mcerned, most of the actual harvest would be over. The Association either had to iirT^mvo t*i«» J^'how or there would be no Show at oil. - ' The motion was carried. MEW SHOW-GROUND. There was considerable discussion on the question of a new Show-ground. The Site-Committee reported having interviewed the representatives of the Paul Estate re a piece of ground close to the Liverpool Park, and stated that negotiations were still in progress. Mr Vance submitted a proposal from the Trotting Club that the Agricultural Association should appoint a committee to confer with representative* from . the Trotting Club with a'view to coming to an arrangement with that club, whereby both bodies would share the j^k expense of buildiiuj a grandstand, stallj^H iind making other appointraent»g^^^^H that tho Association could hold^^^^^H Show on the club's grounds. H^j^^^^^^H that the dab's grounds ly suited for the Associ^jfl^^^^^^^^^l and said that if ar*jj^^K^^^^^^^^^^M bo come to it wc^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H siderable savk^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l tion and t^g^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Tl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H