A. & P. SHOWS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1732, 24 April 1913, Page 10

A. & P. SHOWS.

■: AND GOVERNMENT STOCK. '.'Referring to the motion put forward .nt'ii vocpnfc meeting, of tho Jlunawatu A. and , l\ Association to Iho effect that it , is°not ill tlio interests of tho association to allow animal:* showu by Iho Government to compete with' those shown by . private breeders, Dr. K G. Lovinge ' expressed the following opinions to. tho : "Weekly Press":—. "I notice that a movement has been started' at'l'aluierstou North to stop tho 'Government being allowed to compete with its'stuck at A. i\ud ; .I'. shows. Jt Would bo a gravo mistake for A. and I'. societies to be drawn, into a course of \ action that would ultimately harm New Zealand as :i whole. - Tho 'movers in this agitation are interested persons because . they ard' breeders themsplves, arid- per- . linpsi it is natural that they.should resent being. The ' arguments they put forward nro that tho Government- has a practically unlimited, sunt at its disposal, • it cau pay such outside prices and import such superlatively good stock, that it would absolutely sweep -the board, and private breeders would become so discouraged that they would give up the business. It is.-not correct to say that tlio 'Government officers hold important, advantages over the private, breeder. The reverse is tho truth.' It lias also been claiin- • ed that as. th'q'Government's docks and : herds'are only kept from, an educational • point.of view, it is unnecessary and 'undesirable that they should be entered in ' open competition. ■ .Supposing even 'that this might possibly apply to the stock from tlio Government-farms, it does not . apply to the stpek at Government.insti- • :tutions, such as Siiniiysido and iforirua, which are not under the control of tliu Agricultural Department, and aro run on n strictly commercial'basis. Competition ■is desirable from all poi tils of view, for it bripgs Goyei'iiinent. and private breeder down to the one level of the judge's standard (if .merit. Government officers have not .unlimited money, and if they had •■'.'money is*uot everything. The private ,breeder with the expert knowledge of a J.iret.i.niu to back him up, is in a far belter ' A 'posilibii;lo produce prize-winning animals . than "ii-. nittii. who had l money and less knowledge.; , •'■■• :■ . ">'omi:'-years ago, when the fiiinnyside • .lii'rd inis .'Ooing very well in the show ... 1 ring, an" attempt was. made by small In '■(■ilf't-.'-of Ayisliires. to-get tlm stock prohibited,'.but I am glad to say that the " Canterbury A. and Association slated ' definitely that'it-'wauled the best stock iirecufablo exhibited, never niiiid who the . . breeder, was. '

"'Compel itimi is .diet life and foul of *lucl< breeding,' and' there ' never- would ■l)i' uuy.'real and rapid' progress made unless every breeder was stimulated in exert' lib .very best efforts to produce pri/.e-wi lining 'stock by: keen and open competition. I never paid more than .£2O for any. of the Ayrshires witli which T 'started::thc'.Suilnyside herd, and though the (.lovcrnment had more expensive bulls later on; yet their sjrviccs could not ho procuredtly puivalo - breeders, so ;ihiw wns:iio' advantage to the Suiiuyside' herd on. that account. The only advantage an exhibitor frcm a Government institution could be-said to have—and 1 that was a small'thing really—was that he had plenty of labour available to Ret-I ho show aniiiials'feady for the ring., I am'einbhatic, upon the great value of outside and'been 'competition, and I.practically subsidised, several well-known Ayrshire breeders' to come into the metropolitan show and competo with me. for there was no honour or plory to' be won by a f walk-over.' Sometimes these men beat .'mo and sometimes I, beat'them, but the-public and all concerned ! had tho; satisfaction of knowing that. tJio. prizes won had been sained, in a fair'field and the awards werci consequent--ly all the .'mow valuable."