The Woodville Show.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXII, Issue 3882, 4 June 1906, Page 2

The Woodville Show.

MB BOLTON’S RESOLUTION. DISCUSSED BY THE ASSOCIATION. At the annual meeting of the Woodville Central A. and P. Association held on Thursday evening the resolution of Mr Bolton that the members take into consideration the advisableness of holding the show in alternate years at Woodville and Fahiatua came up for discussion. In moving the motion, Mr Bolton said his main idea in doing so was to animate the society, to put fresh light into it.. He also wanted to settle this vexed question once and for all. There was an agitation in Pahiatua for the establishment of an A. and P. Association there, and he thought that by bringing this motion forward the matter could be thoroughly threshed out and finally settled. He did not think those who were responsible for this agitation had given any consideration to the question of cost. The Woodville Association bad been in existence for some fourteen years, and bad had an uphill battle to get into its present position. Woodville had all the ground material for a show whereas Pahiatua had not. If any place should be chosen it should be Mangataiuoka. Woodville, however, was an eminently suitable centre for a show. Thie railway facilities in Woodville were excellent for trucking stock, and the grounds were in a suitable position. In Fahiatua they had no facilities at all. The show was an established thing here, and he wanted this agitation for its removal settled for all time. He had discussed the question with people from Palmerston and Masterton, and they all agreed that there was no place more suited as a show centre than Woodville. Woodville, however, would have to put its shoulder to the wheel and help itself. It mnst show a creditable balance-sheet and not one with a sum of £9O unpaid subscriptions on it. He (Mr Bolton) was neither fish, flesh, fowl or good red herring so far as Pahiatua or Woodville were concerned. He belonged to neither —he belonged to Mangatainoka. He wanted to see the show go ahead. He bad been connected with the Association practically since its inception, and would not agree to the Show being held alternately at Woodville and Pahiatua. If Pahiatua was anxious to carry the Show down there the room that night would not have held the crowd that would have been there. Unfortunately (he Pahiatua members were mostly on the list of unpaid subscriptions he held in front of him. Their absence was very marked. Regarding Mr Smith’s letter in The Examiner, that was the best letter that gentleman had ever written. He and Mr Smith were fully agreed on this point that the show must not be moved from Woodville.

Mr Harry Escotfc seconded the motion pro forma, Mr Franklin said the Association’s duty was quite clear. They must get the £9O in and stop bothering about Danneyirke or Pabiatua. Mr Smith said as all the Woodville people seemed so slow about speak* iog it seemed as if they wished the show to go to Pahiatua. As they all knew his home was in Pahiatua, and he was a Pahiatua man right through. He regretted, however, that anyone should think that he supported this idea for the show to be held in alternate years at Pahiatua. He came to the meeting to hear some discussion on the question. When he wrote the letter to The Examiner, be asked the Pahiatua people to pay up their subscriptions and have a say in the matter. If the majority favored the change he would support it. It seemed, however, that the whole agitation came from a body called the Chamber of Commerce. He didn’t know who the deuce they were (laughter), bat it looked as

though if Mr S"ddon stayed away much longer be would not stand much chance, as the Pahiatua Chamber of Commerce were going to take charge of the country. He tb|pghfc the Chairman of the Cham* f Commerce at Pahiatua was a lawyer, and of course it was a lawyer’s business to work up debatable business. If anyone told him that either Dannevirke or Pahiatua was a more suitable place than Woodville for the show, be would tell them they did not know what they were talking about. It had cost hundreds of pounds to fix up the show ground in Woodville, and he would like to know if Pahiatua was going to that expense to fix up a show ring. There«was only one place for the show, and that was Woodville. —(Applause). He hoped the agitators would for ever more keep quiet. The Pahiatua people were really not bad people, and he did not think they were really the persons who were raising the agitation. It was this Chamber of Commerce. Mr Burnett opposed the motion. If the Society had a credit balance this might be a good way of frittering away the funds. The proposal could only result, if it were carried, in frittering away the strength of the Society. Mr Charmley agreed with Mr Smith’s statement that a show was for the benefit of the agricultural community, not any town or place. Mr Whitehead asked if it might not be possible to hold the committee meetings alternately in Pahiatua and Woodville. The President said the difficulty regarding meetings could be got over by holding them in the afternoon. Mr Whitehead said this had been tried before and was not a success. The President said that he hoped it was clearly understood that if Pahiatua wanted the show down there they would have to bear all the expense and provide the ground. The motion was lost, not one being in its favor.