MATAMATA SHOW ABANDONED.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 228, 15 March 1928, Page 3

MATAMATA SHOW ABANDONED.

DECISION OF EXECUTIVE. Lack of Entries and Interest. Last Thursday night a meeting of the executive committee of the Matamata A. and P. Association was held to further arrangements for the show which was to take place on Tuesday, March 13. The entries, however, were so poor, being £9O below the previous year’s, that the committee decided to postpone the date of closing until last Monday night, and to adjourn the meeting until then also.

When Monday night came the receipts for entries were still over £3O down, and for over an hour there was a sort of “ all round the room ” discussion as to whether the show should be held.

There were present: Messrs. J. E. West (president), S. Gunn, M. Madill, R. K. Garland, D. B. Higgins, T. Prowse, H. Rollett, C. G. Payze, A. S. Thirlwall, F. Richmond and the secretary, Mr. F. N. Truelove. An apology for absence was received from Mr. T. Carter.

For a long time, members seemed to be quite unable to make up their minds individually or collectively to any course of action. On one hand none disputed, on the figures produced, the conclusion that the show would run the association further into debt.

The president regretted the inconvenience that would be caused by cancellation of the fixture.

Mr. Payze stressed the unfairness of getting people to enter stock when it was clear beforehand that the prize-moneys could not be paid, in some stock classes, on the entries to band. Mr. Prowse considered that to hold the show, knowing that a greater financial liability would be incurred, would be immoral.

Mr. Higgins roughed out a balance sheet, giving a comparison of receipts and expenditure, actual for last year and estimated for the present, showing a loss of £7O. Mr. Higgins was emphatically against continuing under such conditions. All members regretted the utter lack of interest among the farmers in the show.

Mr. Rollett and Mr. Richmond were the only two active optimists, and they considered it better to go ahead. Mr. Rollett pointed out that there had been several considerable

savings effected already, and he did not think the association would be much worse off anyhow if it did run run the show. The dropping of the fixture would have repercussions to the disadvantage of the district; such a course would let the district down badly in an agricultural and pastoral sense. The president .said the district point of view did not worry him; if the district wanted the show, then the people should have supported the entries.

More by the way of testing the feeling of the meeting than of getting his motion carried, Mr. Thirlwall moved that the show be not held.

Mr. Higgins seconded. On being put to the meeting the motion was carried by six votes to four, as follows: For the motion.—Messrs. Thirlv.all. Higgins, West, Gunn, Payze and Prowse.

Against the motion.—Messrs. Rollett, Richmond, Garland and Madill. There were eight members of the executive absent. It was assumed that the next step would be to call a general meeting with a view to winding up the affairs of the association.

Members of the executive present raid uu their current year’s subscription, presumably as a sort of financial finale to the funereal proceedings.