“PEOPLE’S DAY”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19994, 10 November 1927, Page 6

“PEOPLE’S DAY”

“People’s Day” at the Agricultural Show is perhaps the one occasion in the year when the people of the town are afforded the opportunity of expressing en masse the debt they owe to the men on the land. This debt is, of course, generally recognised, and the recognition is not confined to any one day of the twelve months. But practical expression thereof usually comes only on “People’s Day,” when the public, by its support of the Show, assists the Agricultural Association in its aim of being a gi'eat educational agency for the benefit of the farmer.

By means of their shows, the different Agricultural Associations throughout the Dominion teach, the farmer how to improve both his methods and his stock and as it is only by such improvement that his volume of production can be increased, the importance of these Associations and the value of the work they are carrying on can easily enough be estimated. It is upon primary production and export that the prosperity of the Dominion wholly depends. The economic position during the past two years has shown that plainly enough. When the farmer prospers, the townsman prospers also. When the farmer is tinder a cloud, the townsman suffers.

Anything, therefore, which tends to increase the prosperity of the man on the land, deserves public support, if only from the point of view of self-interest. By reason of their educational influence, the Agricultural Associations must certainly be acknowledged as factors tending towards the increase in this prosperity, and as worthy of the support of the public which benefits thereby. Apart from this aspect of the case, “People’s Day” also affords a great opportunity for social fellowship which is usually taken full advantage of, thus giving the public an added pleasure in doing its duty of assisting the Association.

With their customary zeal, the officials have worked their hardest to make the 1927 Show a success and, it may therefore be expected that, as usual, the citizens will attend in their thousands to-day to demonstrate their appreciation of the work the Association is doing for the benefit of the primary producers.