STRATFORD A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 29, 3 February 1913, Page 8

STRATFORD A. AND P. ASSOCIATION.

MEETING OF GENERAL COAI- - The general committee of the Stratford A. and P. Association met on Saturday afternoon, there being seventeen members present. The president (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) presided. Messrs J. B. Mine, M.P., R. McK. Morison and J. H. Tiiompson were elected as life members, and thirteen ordinary members were also elected. The chairman stated that it had been decided to revise the rules, and this had been done. No radical changes had been made, but the rules were generally made more intelligible. With regard to the fixing of the date for the annual meeting, Mr Kirkwood said that the date now obtaining was inconvenient, as it did not give the secretary sufficient time to get his accounts adjusted. At the same time t.iere was the Gymkhana held at Easter, and it should be decided whether the out-going or the incoming committee should run the Gymkhana. “Some time in May” was fixed as the date for the general meeting.

A long discussion ensued on the question of the numbey of vice-presi-dents the society should have, but the rules in tins respect were unaltered.

The revised rules were then approved and will be submitted to the members at' the annual meeting. Executive’s Report.

The Executive Committee forwarded the following:— During the year your executive moved in the' matter of endeavouring to have established in the vicinity of

.tratford a model dairy farm. In this connection Messrs Kirkwood Dingle, and Morton, waited on the Premier in Wellington, and placed the project before him. Mr Massey was very sympathetically disposed towards tae establishment of the farm, and promised to go fully into the question •jii Ids next visit to Taranaki.

Just prior to the recent show a new people’s stand was erected on the southern end of the oval, and it was well patronised by the public. The erection of this stand was financed by mean's of life members’ subscriptions. Other improvements have beqp effected on the grounds, whim •ire now in a high state of cultivation.

Your commitxe recommend that a Gymkhana be held on Easter Monday of this year. It is anticipated that such a fixture‘will, as was the case last year, return a handsome profit. In conclusion your executive desire to place on recard appreciation of the many donations of special prizes and trophies; also to acknowledge services rendered by enthusiastic supporters ;f the Association.

Your executive committee have pieasure, in reporting that the year’s work iag of the Association has been of i most successful nature. The profu for the year totals £415 9s, while the net returns from the November show amounts to £312 15s. When weather, conditions on the first day of the show are taken into consideration, the show profit may be considered excellent. A record attendance was registered on people’s day, the number present being computed at 10,000. During the year £IOO was paid off the mortgage account, £155 12s was paid in interest, and £lO7 19s has been written off as depreciation. The membership bet now stands at 911; 150 new members were elected during the year. Your executive have every confidence that the membership will continue to steadily increase, and in, this direction we strongly recommend a continuance of the policy of giving members all privileges possible compatible with sound finance. Model Dairy Farm. In stating that the Agricultural Department would be glad to assist the A. and P.' Society in the judging of the Model Dairy Farm Competition, Mr D. Cuddie,' director, wrote that they would suggest that the man appointed by the Dairy Division should confine himself to the judging of that part of the competition which was connected with ‘dairying proper, although he could of course assist any other judge who might ho a specialist in other branches of the competition. “It seems to me,” wrote Mr Caddie,

“that the classification of those farms

accarding to merit would give greater satisfaction to the entrants il your society appointed, say, throe judges. One of these could be a progressive farmer from another district, another an officer of the Live Stock Division of the Department, and the third an officer of this Division. While all three would work in conjunction, each one could pay special attention to what was connected with his own special line, the farmer judge taking part in the whole of the work. This plan was followed in a competition held some time ago in the Manawatu district, and having acted as judge on tnat occasion I can say that the arrangement seemed to give satisfaction to the competitors as well as to the Society. Mr Reakes, director of the Live Stock Division, Mr Tate, a farmer of Waitara, and myself wore the judges on that occasion.” Mr Cnddie added that on receipt of reply he would be glad to appoint someone to undertake the Dairy Division’s part of the work.

The president stated that he thought Mr Cuddie’s suggestions were very excellent ones, and it was decided to adopt them accordingly. The farms will lie judged in the second week of April. An Endowment. Mr J. B. Richards moved that it be a recommendation to the executive to consider the advisability of urging the Government to set aside a portion

of the land in the Omona Survey District for the purposes of endowing the

Stratford A. and P. Association. Mr Richards strongly urged the members of the committee to take up this matter. Other bodies bad been endowed

with land in this district), and other A. and P. Associations had been similarly treated, but there was nothing of the kind so far as Stratford institutions were concerned. He pointed out that this block of land had been reserved either for scenic or timber purposes, and the reservations had just been lifted. Iti was a very reasonable request that a part of it should be set aside to assist the association, whoso members bad undertaken considerable responsibility and expense in the interests of better farming and stock raising in the district. (Hoar, hear.) PI think there’s a very good chance of*getting it,” added Mr Richards. Mr Dan Malone seconded the motion, but was inclined to think that it would be better to transfer the- energies of the Association into securing a slice of the totalisator taxes, as this would he an immediate source of revenue. Mr Richards pointed out that there wore seven thousand or eight thousand acres of land in this reserve, and it would probably be offered for selection at 30s an acre. Air Thomas Webb thought that a private body had little chance of securing any endowment of this nature. Air Harkness thought that there

was a great possibility of the big associations advising the Government not to do it. There were a lot of young Associations springing up, and 'they were “sick of so many Associations.” Mr / Watkin: But we’re not sick; why should’nt we go in for it? The Mayor supported the idea. This block of land had been thrown open by representations made from time to time by the Chamber of Commerce, also in the past by the Stratford Borough Council. ' It was not often that they got an opportunity of securing a piece of land thrown open in this way, for the land, he thought, had been in the first place reserved for scenic purposes. It was quite possible that the Government might see fit to hand over a portion of the land to this Association, as be thought it was agreed on all hands that the Association was doing good work ; at any rate, as much as its financial position would allow it. The Association worked in Taranaki, the homo of'the dairying, and the Government might think fit to give the Association this land, to assist it in carrying out the Association’s aims and objects—assistance for the man on the land in Taranaki. Mr Kirkwood also favoured the idea of makrepresentations to the Government to secure a portion of the. totalisator tax : even only a small portion would mean good revenue. At all events, he thought they should “have a try.” V

Air Dingle agreed, and enumerated the thing for which they must ask the Prime Alinistor when lie arrived in the district. Tneso were: (J) the model dairy farm, (2) an endowment for the Association, and (3) a slice af the tote earnings. “Probably out of the lot, we should get something,” was Air Dingle’s comment on the pro- ! posals. i Tile Alayor : They’ll come to the con-; | (jiusion that we’re alive at all events. I ! ' The motion was carried.