A. AND P. SOCIETY.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 897, 21 May 1903, Page 3

A. AND P. SOCIETY.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times.) Sir,—Your report of the proceedings of the A. and P. Society on Saturday does not put the matter clearly with regard to my motion that paragraph 2 of show regulation 2 should be deleted. This obnoxious regulation provides that, though entries for the show close ten days before tiie show, yet entries from outside the district shall bo admitted up to three days before the show. Such a regulation ■ is not only unknown elsewhere, but it must be evident to any impartial person that it is grossly unfair. I take it that our Society exists for the purpose of encouraging the breeding of pure stock in the district, but such a regulation us this seems framed for the express purpose of discouraging it. f am the last man in the world to try and prevent the importation of pure stock, I think i may safely say that 1 have imported more pedigree stock to the district than any other man, and perhaps I should m.r be i-ciii l ' beyond the mark if I were to . ' ° ° *' . , . * 1

say that f have imported more than all others put together. Oof: cannot breed pH re stock without ft start from pure '•cock, find as such cannot be obtained in tin: district wo must import from outside, it ,:d I shall continue to do so whenever I need fresh blood anti cannot obtain it here. JJut iiuv exhibitor must always infinitely prefer to win with stock of his own breedme. f won five championships at our last show, two with animals ored and reared by myself and three with bougbl animals, and I can truly say that J derived much more gratification from the wins of the two former than from those ol the three latter. Without doubt I have in past years taken more prizes than any other member with imported stock, but I bavo always shown them under the same conditions us those they had to meet. As a matter of fact, though I pretty well swept the board in the sheep and cattle classes at our last show, not a singlo one of my exhibits had the slightest shelter in the winter, not even a haystack. I have, too, always made it a rule to keep my importations in cattle for a year before exhibiting them, for I consider that there is no credit in bringing from outside a highly-fed, stabled animal, and winning against the local pad-dock-fed stock. Still, it is quite legitimate to do so, and if anyone derives any gratification by exhibiting such an animal against mine I am, and always have been, willing to exhibit against him, provided that he enters his stock under the same condition as ours, i.e., by the second Satirdav before the Show.