The Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 14, 8 May 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1876.

ISicipatiott of the thirteenth annual ,g of the Northern Agrtenltcral ami al Association, we expressed a wish lays ago that the attendance of merita that evasion wotdd W as nnmct the importance of the- business to ttgttt before the- meeting deserved. today last our expectations were d, anil a fair muster of geottemen reaeut at the Mechanics' Institute. tonal report submitted by the Cotucannot but he regarded as in the 6 degree satisfactory. The nssur•otn the committee that the Associamaking steady progress, ami above igs accomplishes its intended objects, indeed he gratifying m>t only to inking a warm interest in agrictrinatters, but to the people generally, g in Oamara ami the district, is not tjhe slightest doubt, ami esse jflbves the assertion, that these tiows nave a very beneficial inttnn the agricultural at«l pastoral pnrf a district ; ami when the c*»mmake a simitar statement in their they endorse the views we have Iteld as to the leading features of aatittttiofts. We are veiy gfod to an exceedingly sensible suggestion commttteo'a report, and one which st the Association will rigidly ad- . The report says :—" The experil the past two year* in connection ie holding of the annual show on ccesaive days, is, ttpon the whole, teary; but it seems desirable to •mmrttee that some alteration ©tight &de in allotting the various exhibits t firat and second days, so as to-

make both days, as nearly as possibl e » equally attractive to the public." Now this is exactly as it should be; all the leading features of the show should not be centred in the first day, but be equally distributed over the first and second. An agricultural show is one of those sort of entertainments—if we may be allowed the expression—to which the public will flock to see once, and then all further interest in it ceases. Now, if the committee can so arrange matters as to make the second day of the show equally as attractive as the first, we sec no reason why the attendance should not be as large on the last as on the opening day. Looking at the report, too, frcm a monetary {mint of view we find, with pleasure, that the Association's* account is on the right side of the ledger. Mr. Ronavnk, the honorary treasurer, had a very pleasing duty to perform in making his financial statement, from which we gather that on the 31st March there was a credit balance to the Association of £241 6*3. Sd. A sum of £205 has l>een lodged on deposit at five per cent., which, en passant, we think rather low interest as money is at present. The assets on March 31st, including the money out on deposit, were £433 Cm. 2d. and the liabilities £l4l>, leaving a balance in favour of the Association of £2112 2s. 2d. —a state of matters, as we have before mentioned, most satisfactory. The last passage in the Committee's report expresses our views entirely, and it is, a hope that continued exertions will be made to render t lie Shows of the Association worthy of the district it represents, and snfiici*>ntry atttactive to induce lively competition in every department of exhibits.