Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24, 1948 THE WINTER SHOW

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 24, 24 November 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24, 1948

THE WINTER SHOW

Tomorrow evening the Bay of Plenty Winter Show Association is calling together all its members, debenture holders and citizens interested in the future welfare of the Association and the district to consider the purchase of a power plant and renovations to the building or, failing that, the disposal of the Winter Show building. That meeting is important to every citizen. It is to be hoped the usual half dozen who attend public meetings here will on this occasion be considerably reinforced. „

There is more at stake than the mere matter of whether or not to hold another show. That show in the past was an important factor in publicising this district. It can be said without exaggeration that it has contributed materially to the progress of the town. Entries used to be received from all over New Zealand.

Moreover, the foresight of the early executive in acquiring a building has proved of great service to the district as a whole, that building having served many recreational purposes and come in useful on many a public occasion. •

Can Whakatane afford to be without it? What is to take its place? Who would take it over if the Winter Show Association, through lack of support, through short-sightedness or timidity, decided to throw in its hand?

During the war, Winter Shows had to be discontinued, and since the war, electric power has not been available and that is today’s big problem.

Strenuous efforts have been made to hire a plant, but without success. Now, after full investigation of all the possibilities, the executive has decided that, if a plant must be bought, the one most suitable for the purpose is available at from £7OO to £BOO. Renovations of the building will cost anything up to another £3OO.

Tomorrow’s meeting will have to decide whether or not to spend the money. Old hands in the Winter Show organisation, looking back on past show, successes, believe the investment is justified, but some feel it might be prudent to push for finality in the proposed amalgamation’with the A. and P. Society first.

Those who feel that way have no doubts that the proposed expenditure would be fully warranted if that could be brought about.

For those who plan to attend the meeting and help in framing its decisions, a brief history of those negotiations might -be useful. The Winter Show Association and the A. and P. Society agreed to amalgamate. It seemed an ideal match. The Association had the building, and the Society had the grounds. But, and here wgs the sticky part of it, the grounds were leased from the Domain Board and, in law, it was not possible to shift the building on to those grounds without a special Act to permit it. Therefore the Borough Council, as the Domain Board, started negotiations, and got to that stage of the procedure where they had advertised for objections to the lease to the amalgamated bodies and none had been lodged. So the application went to the Minister, who subsequently advised that objections had been lodged with him. Those objections have been investigated by Government officers, but the Council has had no further word concerning them. Perhaps a definite expression of opinion from a well-attended public meeting might influence the position.