Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1937 ROYAL SHOW VENUE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 216, 12 August 1937, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1937 ROYAL SHOW VENUE.

Difficulties of finance and transport facing the Royal Agricultural Society have led to the belief in some quarters, according to a report from Southland, that sooner or later the Royal Show will be centralised with Wellington as its permanent venue. Two delegates from Southland, referring to the recent meeting of the Society in Wellington, are reported to have expressed such a belief, one stating further that the Show is not a success the way it is at present carried out. That is too pessimistic a view to take of the situation, and individual Show Societies throughout both Islands will, no doubt, see to it that any movement to end the. present peripatetic system of holding the Royal Show, especially toward centralisation in Wellington, is strenuously opposed, for there appear to be many sound reasons against such a step. All things considered, the Societies which have been entrusted with the holding of the Royal Show—the Royal Agricultural Society has not assumed that responsibility since its inception—have done very well, some much better than others, and in spite of reductions or cancellation of grants to aid the Society, which all hope are only temporary, it is not yet necessary for the Royal Society to consider having _ to highly commercialise the exhibition and permanently centralise it in order to make ends meet. It is commendable to see that the Manawatu A. and P. Association, despite the absence of assurances of free transport for stock except between the two Islands, is prepared to go ahead with the staging of the Royal Show next November. The Show is the chief medium by which the Royal Society’s influence is brought before the public. The Society’s operations have been strengthened of recent years, by the establishment of district councils and these are lending their aid in the furtherance of Show activities, and to permanently centralise the Royal Show in Wellington would almost certainly cause a considerable falling away of interest in it. Another view to be considered is the fact that Royal Show awards can maintain their prestige only if the best stock are brought together for competition, and for that reason it would be dangerous to allow the problems facing the authorities to go on as they are —something must be done to see that the best animals from every corner of the Dominion are brought forward; yet there is no guarantee unit such would be the case were the Show centralised in the Capital City. A more suitable suggestion, and one which has been sup-

ported in the past by breeders and exhibitors, is to bold the Show at one centre convenient to all parts of each Island, in the North and South Islands alternately. Again, it could be advanced to the breed societies that where they have large funds at their command more assistance could be given in prize money and the subsidising of transport for animals coming long distances. The matter of increased Government financial support is one that will doubtless be given attention with the return of the Minister of Finance, and' until that is settled further steps cannot be taken. Still another very important point to be reckoned with is the fact that at a time when the tendency to draw interest away from the land to the largest centres of the Dominion is being deprecated' it would be unwise to shift the Royal Show into the city atmosphere; there is the opportunity for the farming people to attend a Royal Show at least once every few years to be considered. With the Show being held in centres convenient to large numbers of farmers the Royal Society has the advantage of much gratuitous service by district Show committeemen—a service that may be lost, almost certainly will be, if a commercialised exhibition is aimed at. The subject should not be hurriedly dealt with. After all, the educational value of the exhibition is paramount alongside the purpose of determining the best stock in the country.