The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1915 REPROOF TO SHEEPBREEDERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 25 November 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1915 REPROOF TO SHEEPBREEDERS.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.)

Now that the present season’s. ngri cultural and pastoral show is under or

ganisation by the general' committee of the Taihape A. and P. Society, the

time seems opportune for commenting on a reproof to sheepbreeders adminis-

tered by a prominent ’Romney breeder

from farther north, to breeders in this part of the island. A Mr Harding, a leading and highly successful Romney Marsh man from North of Auckland,

came down to Palmerston and Wanga

nui shows prepared to spend some hundreds of pounds on Romneys, but the competition was so limited that it gave him practically no selection.

points out. pertinently enough, that there are the flock books, but, he asks, who is going to buy from :i book, anil as it is impossible for a would-be buyer to visit more than a very few flocks after travelling a long distance, there is only one place where he hopes to be able to see the types he requires and to purchase what he desires to add to or infuse into his own flock. Let it be understood that in the early days of shows breeders realised the value of shows and put their hands into t 1

pockets to uphold them, for they got no assistance from the general public* in the way of admission money or by the presentation of prizes. ' They realised it was in their best interests lo keep these ' exhibitions of their wares going. To-day there is crushing evidence in favour of breeders not keeping their shows well-supported, Mr Harding says we travel hundreds of miles to buy, and have to return empty handed because breeders will not exhibit. Unless, therefore, it is made possible for intending purchasers to ascer-. | tain whether breeders in this district have the particular types they desiie a loss to breeders and to the district re- | suits, and our shows are not fulfilling | the mission and purpose for which thox were established. Rheepfarming give> promise of being a highly-profitable industry for some years to come. A district like this, given almost entirely to sheep breeding, is going to ebb and flow with the interest that characterises its chief industry, and from a purely commercial standpoint, Mr E. Harding tells us that to refrain from exhibiting or to exhibit tardily, i s :1 huge blunder, independently of wheth-

or prizes are. secured or not. r| ' v is no gain savins; the fact that Taihape breeders are now in the very flush of opportunity to establish a name for their flocks, and. collectively, they can make this a centre noted for its shoe]) that will ensure a comprehensive attendance at sales and uniformly high prices for stock sold. What have they to do to secure all this for themselves and for the district? Merely patronise their exhibitions; let visiting buyers | sec what they have to offer. Mr HardJing, and very many others before him,

havo expressed almost precisely similar views. They do not necessarily want prize-takers, they may have that class of animal themselves; they want certain types, particular characteristics for which the careful ancl successful breeder is noted, and brooders here can only sell what these men want by letting them know that they have them. These two or three dozen men from north of Auckland say, we do not want your prize-takers, we want certain. characteristics<and if you do not show your sheep we cannot buy them, for we do ,-not know that you have them. Breeders are urged not to show purely for prizes, but to exhibit their wares just as any other commercial man exhibits, his. Mr Harding lias entered a,plea on behalf of showing that would be hard to improve upon. He, and a number of others come hundreds of miles, to sec a variety of types, and they go back disappointed. The publication of this fact, we venture to say, will prevent hundreds of others from coming to this part of the Island fot sheep. Mr Harding not being able to. find a Variety of types will convince them that they would fare no better, and- they will accordingly stay away. Taihapc slieephreeders undoubtedly havo now an opportunity for building up a name for their stock; there arc few rising districts just now that are able to compete with them, and all they have to do. as Mr. Harding points out, is to exhibit their wares at their pastoral shows, where wouldbe buyers can pick out the types they want. Lot it not be supposed that we show just for the edification of

pleasure-seeking crowds: the stern fact is again testified to. that this should not he the case. The agricultural. and pastoral show is essentially a commercial- problem to sheepbreeders:'it is the place where their wareshould ho displayed to bring best results. and if tliev availed themselves to the best of its advantages, their ram fairs would tell a very different tale. No display of varieties of types at the showj low prices at the ram fairs follow as a corollary.