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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4916, 23 December 1876, Page 2

Wb publish in the supplement issued to-day, a rather lengthy correspondence which has recently taken place between Mr. Thomas Frethey, secretary of the Wairarapa and East Coast Pastoral Association, and Mr. George Hunter, of this city,. thinking that as. stated in the latter gentleman's letter to the editor the matter is of sufficient importance to warrant our giving it full publicity. There can be no doubt that the annual exhibitions of stock held under the auspices of Pastoral and Agricultural Societies in various parts of the country do either a great deal of good or an immense amount of harm. They do good if properly managed, and when care is taken to encourage breeders who endeavor to raise animals that will improve their own flocks and herds, and their neighbors when they have surplus stock for sale." They do harm when they are made the medium of serving the purposes of designing parties, who show inferior stock, and manage to, get prizes awarded, on the strength of which they dispose of inferior stock, to which prizes have been awarded, to the outside public, who are not behind the scenes, or Hp to the dodges so frequently practised. 'lt is also important that the parties interested in the,, conduct and internal management Of these institutions should possess a little of what is known as common sense. In the particular instance under notice, if the secretary had onlytaken the trouble to refer to the records supposed (to-.be in his custody, he would have seen that, as was afterwards affirmed by the committee, there waß 'no ground for the * accusation - preferred by Mr. Beetham against Mr. Hunter, and lie would have intimated this to the firstnamed gentleniar. Instead of adopting; this course, he assumed that Mr. Beetham must be right, and called upon Mr. Hunter to clear his character. Had he or the committee given the question at issue five, minutes' consideration, the matter would have been settled at once, ,' and the, ill-feeling which has arisen wonld ;neyer have been created, and Mr. Hunter would have been spared the &rmoyance of having an unjust accusation hanging over his head for some months.' It may be mentioned that the animal," the doubt about the parentage' of which caused-all the disturbance, was exhibited at the! last Wairarapa pastoral show, arid took-a second prize. It was afterwards soldbypublic'auction. At the sale, and when on show, in the yards, it was pointed out as ." Hunter's swindle." It is therefore no'wonder that Mr. Hunter feels annoyed and thinks he has not been well treated. 'He has lost no time in giving publicity to the whole, correspondence on the matter. Mr. Frethey's last letter was dated the 18th instant, and was replied to by*Mr. Hunter on the 20th, immediately after which the entire cbrreapondence was forwarded for publication to.the Hew Zealand Mail, thus taking care thaVthe people of the Wairarapa should be put in possession of the facts as as possible. Some of the correspondence .appeared in Thursday's Standard, but it - vould have been better if the editor had piblished all or none. I