FRANKLIN A. AND P. SOCIETY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 597, 7 January 1921, Page 2

FRANKLIN A. AND P. SOCIETY.

INTERESTING HISTORY PERIOD OF STEADY- j GROWTH. i The thirty - sixth Autumn Show under the auspices of the Franklin A. and P. Society will be held on the Showgrounds on . Friday and Saturday, February -25 th and 26th, 1921, and provid- | ing anticipations turn out sue- j cessfully the 1921 event should j eclipse last year’s record. Since | its inception about 37 years ago 1 Die Sncietv has made rauid nro-

gress and a resume of the past events will no doubt appeal to many. One of the prime movers in the establishment of the Franklin A. and P. Society was that popular gentleman, Mr Charles Shipliord, of Puni. Mr Shipherd interested himself and soon had the hearty support of a handful of enthusiasts. The Society was formed and Mr Shipherd was made the first president. From the very outset when the Society was in its infancy he worked.assiduousiy and ho has remained a member tnTt* dmto nnrl line lin.H flip nlfMl-

sure of seeing the once l ’ baby ” show grow to be known as one of the largest and ' most popular shows in the Dominion. The old gentleman is still alive and it was last year that he was made the first life member in recognition of his loyal and unremitting support. The first event was held in the late Mr James Roulston’s paddock at the rear of the Pukekohe Hotel. The Society at this juncture was not in a position financially to acquire a permanent ground or to erect enough pens, so to overcome the difficulty that confronted the Society, the New Zealand Loan oml IVTotpit 1 p Atrpnnv flnm-

ci Ceil 1 vile pany’s yards close by were used for cattle pens and when this accommodation was found to be totally inadequate the cattle were accommodated in Messrs Buckland and Sons yards, situated then where the A. and P. Society’s office now stands. ThisI nnfo i I o/l minnrj* avc Irx flip

entailed giving visitors to the show a pass to cross the road and this privilege was considerably abused. The little show grew by leaps and bounds and it was deemed necessary to seek a much ; larger ground. This was found . in the vicinity of the present i Masonic Hall and here the : Society’s operations were suc- ‘ cessfully carried on for a number • of years, and the idea of issuing passes to cross the road was once l and for all not entertained. That > the Society procured a ground of : its own was in a larg'e measure ? due to the enterprise of Mr Chas. ] Shipherd, as this gentleman pnr--1 chased the property and held it 1 for a number of years, until the Society’s financial position was such that a ground could be acquired. About 1904 the property was totally inadequate to cope with the increased entries and an additional area of ; three acres had to be secured : from a Miss Hogan, together with l a road from the Pukekohe West ' Road Board, which at that time ; was the only local body presiding ■ over the destinies of the district ; west of the railway line, At > that lime the Pukekohe Town | Board and Borough Council were • bodies undreamt of. A number . of very successful shows were ■ held on the site acquired near 1 the Masonic Hall, and it was ( found that the grounds were ; totally inadeqvatc to meet with i future requirements. In the . meantime the town of Pukekohe ' was rapidly growing, the popula- ; tion increasing, and in view of Ihc fact that stock had to be driven through the main street the Society took steps to consider the advisability of securing another property, and for this purpose a sub-committee consisting of the President (Mr Jas, Wylie), Messrs D. R. Hamilton and C. K. Lawrie (Vice-Presi-dents), and Mr Chas. Shipherd, was set up and report to a meeting of the executive. The committee inspected properties at Paerata, Yatf’s Bush (near Buckland), part of the present racecourse property, and the present show ground. The committee brought in a unanimous recommendation that the present ground was the most suitable, and this was subsequently acquired at £l5O per acre. This proposition transpired in 1913, and was a very wise move-—since been proved—as had the Society moved to cither Buckland, Paerata, or Yale’s Bush, it would not have been able to have such a suitable place for Winter Shows. Since the acquisition of the property at the southern end

or me railway station, it appears that the Society has taken a new lease of life, as year by year vast improvements have 'oven made, the membership has increased, and on the whole great progress has been made. The Society has become popular with exhibitors and the general public, and to keep this progress ana re. members evimra 11 v should

apace, meinoers generally snouiu take even a keener interest than at present displayed. The question of the State giving assistance towards Agricultural and Pastoral Shows is one which is frequent!}'’ discussed. Those who follow closely the operations of the various associations, and particularly the financial aspect of thorn, are quite well aware that the latter returns are anything but stable. From an educative point of view, shows are invaluable, and it is a pity that they should be called upon to rest on the precarious basis which, almost without exception, the case at present. The development which shows inculcated tending towards stock improve, mant must be apparent to those

interested. Every A. and P. Association’s aim is to build up a show second to none, but there was a limit to what extent they could go. Through member’s , subs., gate returns, entries’ fees, j and the generosity of a few busi- | ness firms, thfi show authorities I were solely dependent for their revenue at present. At aH times these items had a fluctuating tendency. 'At the present time , Government assistance was forthcoming in connection with the carriage of stock to and from j shows. Recently, at a confercr.co of A. and P. Secretaries, the question was raised as to 1 the best way of assisting to 1 finance A. and P. Societies.

beverai secretaries stated. mat no financial scheme entailing the payment of interest and sinking fund would prove benefical, that the only way was for farmers and stock breeders interested to subscribe the money as donations and do the.work. Such Societies as Hawkes Bay and Wanganui as well as the Waikato were already working on these lines. Hawkes Bay was out to raise £BO,OOO in donations to thoroughly equip its showground. Wanganui collected £IO,OOO and handed over thr» fshnwcyrminrl froo rlpKf. fn

the Executive. Wanganui then raised another '£sooo to erect buildings. Hamilton at the pre-' sent time has a fund of £3OOO to go on with buildings as soon as* material was available and as soon as the lease with the Racing Club expired. The Fianklin Society is making a stride in the right direction. Last year it was blessed with over 2UOO entries for its Autumn Show (this is claimed as a record for the Auckland Province). At the present time the Association requires from between £SOOO and £7OOO to put its grounds in a condition in keeping with the rvpmrpocc rxF 'KVra nlrlin ftrmntv

. - - VUUIH.JT. The show controllers recently erected buildings for the Winter Show at a cost of over £2OOO and in spite of all the adverse conditions (weather in particular), the inaugural event proved to be an unqualified success. (To be continued next issue.)