DOMINION SHOW.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 July 1919, Page 9

DOMINION SHOW.

WOW; IT HAS EXPANDED.

p tls TRACED.

iVHAT FAITH, COURAGE AND ENTERPRISE! CAN DO.

Pew there were even among the most fctdehtf advocates for .the establishment of ft winter show in South Taranaki that vaold, nave dared to prophecy that within nine years of its inception the Do- ■ ainiori Show at Hawera. would be rivalling for the premiership of New [Zealand the two old established and \2iigsly successful shows of the .North Is-lan4,-lrix., Palmeraton North, and Waikato, but such is the case. The Domin ion Show at Ha vera stands easily first a» regards housing* and in many other respecta It-is sfttwioi; to the older shows. The Dftminjon. Show was established with the object ''of catering for the 90 per cent, of the farming population who could n6t|o to,se show at Palmerston North, and not lot ,the 10 per ceut. who could go. I ; » i, ■■ The prospectus stated! "Prom the point of view of the farming commun--4 ity'"the Importance of a winter show - can hardly be overestimated. It will lning'.to thj>, fitmters at a time when they can best afford to leave the farm the ' most .recent dairying and labor saving appliances available; and the most recent inventions; and so lead

to greater profits in the farming and , dairying business. It will attract as who, when they see our magnificent dairying land, no doiibl will become i settlers among us. The demand for farm lands and the value pi the same must increase in consequence.- Manufacturers and dealers in machinery, on'the other haiid, will find the South TaipniQci Winter Show the moSt favorable time, and the most central position at which to meet the dairymen and farmers of what is undoubtedly the greatest dairying clis-

trict in New Zealand. From the point i of view of Che business residents, it must also bo realised that the influx of so many people and the probable increase of settlement tbat'will follow, must bring in its train increased business to all South Taranaki. Any benefit "reaped 'by the farmipg population must'it-act favorably upon all." •

HtQGRESS OF THE SHOW. Fftm jta inception the progress of the Sho%haS been'remarkable, being a tribute'to. the foresight, zeal and'enthusiasm" of 'the, promoters, whose faith in the future of their district has been fully jvjutifled. Mr. A. M. Conroy, who had betn.promineiit in running the Eawera Induktrial'Exhibition a few years pre▼feflstji -was- the - first secretary and leading promoter,of the society, which waa "registered jfl November, 1909, with *, capital of "£3OOO, divided into 600 snares of £5 each. So enthusiastically msVthe'.ffcoject reeeked that within a ifcetL-232 •hares..were taken' up, the nnnrber increasing to 350 the nest week. fcWLthe first year saw 493 taken up! si, ... .

The provisional directors were: Messrs. A. \V. Gillies (chairman), G. V Pearce t B n rn «i l: ' G K Ma i° r » R - F - Pa e e ' W. G. White, 11. H. Nolan, H. W. Sargent, J. A. Turtpn, J. P. Keen, p. W button, B. G. Bennett, F. W Wilkie W Baker, and E. E Nakler, the first meeting being held in October 18, 190!! Messrs. A. W. Gillies, B. C. Bennett, ]). J. Goodwin, W. Baker, C. E. Major, the late F. H. Boase, P. W. Wilkie, J V. Wyborno and R. p. Page were 'elected the first directorate, the first named bem;? again elected chairman, a position he occupied until December, 1013, when he retired and Mr. D. J. Goodwin, the present chairman, was appointed and has : held office continuously. Mr. A. M. ' Conroy also resigned his position in 1915. Mr. H. A. Lemon filling the position, whilst Mr. L. 0. Hooker was appointed show manager, being appointed the following year to the combined position of secretary and show manager, a position which he Still holds with distinction to himself and credit to the society.

So energetically did the new directors Bet to work that the first show was held the following July in a building specially built for the purpose. Great difficulty was experienced in getting the building erected in time, the contract only being let to Mr. R. W. Bond, of New Plymouth, in March for a effenerated-con-crete building, as the directors, recognising that the show had come to stay, determined to erect buildings of a permanent nature, with the result that the Dominion Show is the best housed in New Zealand.

Referring to the great achievement the Daily News on Thursday, July 19, 1310, the morning after the opening, remarked inter alia: "It is unnecessary to paint the lily, but the outstanding point to be stamped home is that in twelve weeks a great concrete building with 20.000 feet of exhibition space jumped out of the earth--that for love of iand and province the whole countryside rose tc the occasion, and put up a display that could not be excelled in New Zealand. The mere fact that a -display wa» made is not the most important feature. If at short notice a magnificent district can make a .unique exhibition of the kind, gleamed from a partially settled province, what, will it be able to achieve in the future when closer settlement arrives and scientific agriculture sways the head of every farmstead?"

LIMIT NOT REACHED. Though great strides hare been made since then, as is shown by the enormously increased production," reflected to a certain extent in the increased accommodation required at the show, so, too, will there be much greater expansion in the future. It will thus be seen that the show has by no means reached its limit. Many there were, of course, who considered that the building would prove a white elephant and not pay interest, but these pessimists were, soon proved to be very much in the wrong for not only did the show pay from the start but the takings proved to have been underestimated, and, despite the spacious hall provided—the dimensions of the building being 2SO feet by 90 feet, or 'covering 25,200 feet of floor space—it was soon found that accommodation was cramped and further additions were necessary. The directors were fully alive to the position, and from time to "time have added substantial additions, all in concrete, In 1912 a ha 11,.'33 by 280.feet was added, in 1918 the Kitchener Hall, 40 feet by 280 feet, was opened, and in 1918 another fine section, known as the

"Lloyd George Hall," 40 feet by 180 feet, and a poultry annexe 200 feet by 18 feet was opened, with ,the result that there is now under cover 50,440 feet, or a total area of over 1 1 : 4 acres. Yet the Society finds itself' cramped for room, and is now considering a scheme for erecting a second story over a portion of the building, and providing rooms wherein may be held meetings and conferences of farmers, etc. during Show week. The block of buildings as at present greatly enhance the appearance of the locality with their solid und pleasing, though somewhat stern front.

THE SOCIETY'S AIM.

It has been the aim of the Society since its inception to cater for the farmer, his wife and his family and to make the Show both instructive and entertaining, and it is safe to say that those who visited the initial Show were struck with the comprehensive nature of the exhibition. The dairy and farm machinery displayed (including no less than 12 makes of milking machines) most of it in motion, for the Society had provided a double row of shafting 100 feet long, with an engine for motive purposes was a revelation to many who previously had not had the opportunity of getting beyond the boundaries of their own farm, so to speak, and this department has grown enormously. Indeed the hall that housed the first two shows is now devoted exclusively to machinery, and in 1!)1G the Society put in its own motive power. The splendid display by the Agricultural Division in itself proved, an education, whilst the dairy produce exhibition made, a very attractive display, with the handsome challenge cups in which the Society had made a new departure by awarding these to the makers instead of the factory.

A perusal of the prize list shows that all the first prizes were won by Taranaki factories, though in butter 'there was strong outside competition. In cheese competition was mainly confined to Taranaki. Here the most noticeable feature is the great strides made in the quality of the cheese manufactured, for nowadays cheese that graded 03} and S3 would have little hope - of gaining first prize.

The farmer was also catered for by .the farm and garden produce, honey and fruit and other sections; the women by the cookery, fancy work, etc.; the children by the Public Schools Division, of which the district exhibits formed a feature; whilst tradesmen's displays were well catered for. Entries- in the' various sections have increased each year, showing that the interest is being maintained. Particularly is this the case m .the schools section, which is made a feature, being liberally endowed with challenge shields- and prize money- Poultry and dogs also had their allotted space. The Society is pleased to give prominence to any special K-aturp of educational value, as, for the inclusion in 1016 of the British Trade Exhibition, the first to be held in the Australasian colonies. Indeed to Mr. Hooker is attributed the coining of the apt phrase "3ritish goods for British people." Mr. Hooker lias a valued trophy in his possession as a .memento of the occasion, being a specially signed and framed testimonial presented to him by the British exhibitors represented in the display.

AN INTERESTING TABLE. Since the'inception till last year the entries have ihbre than trebled,'and the following table gives details for comparison:—-

Each year the secretary receives applications from firms and others desirous of exhibiting—applications that in many cases he has to refuse owing .to lack of spee. The fame of the Dominion Show is spreading, and visitors from all parts of New Zealand now regard it as one of the most important winter functions, with the result that accommodation in Haweiu is taxed to the utmost, business people thus seeing the benefit the' show is to the town itself. Farmers of South Taranaki must recognise the good work that the Society has done in their interests not only from the point of view of direct and indirect benefit received from the Show itself, but also from the fact that the building accommodation provided is able to be utilised by one of the largest farmers' firms in the country and also because when the position was critical owing to 1 " the shortage of shipping, the Company in 1917 came to the rescue by the offer of the Kitchener Hall for cool storage purposes. This was followed in 1918 by the oiTer of the Lloyd George Hall. In- these two halfa were stored cheese valued at'over £200.000. They are still being, utilised by the dairy companies, and are not av(,;i»hle this year for show purpose*, with +"«(, ,;asult that the Company K.,, to lcav,. <*«. «ew premises of the Wast Coa.<, n fl ft.yjar*ting Company alongside, 'coveving tmlf an acre. In this it is int«.udiij is- bo.Use the motor exhibits, wiii-h '.iJTv« Iwiuuiue such a feature of modern shows, and though the building was only mailable four weeks ago, already more thnn sufficient entries have been received to fill it. The building is separated from the main show buildings by a roadway, but this willprove no detriment as it has been connected by a spacious covered corridor. Since the first show was opmicd by thi Hon. Thos. McKenzie, Minister of Agriculture,- it has either been opened by the Governor or a Minister of the Grown.

The present directors are Messrs. D. -T. Goodwin (chairman), B. C. Bennett, J. V. Wyborn, R. F. Page, E, C. Barley-

R. Corrigan and W. Syme, the first named quartette having beer« on the directorate since the inception of the shiw, and they are to be ■congratulated on the success achieved. A good deal I of that success is due to the secretaries that have had control* not the least among whom is the present secretary, Mr. L. O. Hooker, who in the dual capacity of wcretary and manager has, in controlling such a large undertaking, a .ve.*y onerous task.

f Dairy Factory Cheese ... 1910 69 . 41 '. 117 . 130 S3 9 46 225 46 14 .--52 OFFICIAL ENTRIES. 1911 1912 1913 48 99 60 51 82 63 190 192 1SS 240 230 196 78 64 191 100 lfc2 117 35 1* IS 229 42? 367 . T 4 14 53 40 41 IS 23 19104 108 123 3 7 — 5 25 20 IS- 1 1 1914 62 60 179 197 190 117 15 365 13 41 » 1*3 «er 21 1915 96 56 130 247 124 127 8 322 S ' 28 29 149 21 IS 1916 77 45 98 296 126 135269 16 35 34 250 12 1 1917 122 47 5 265 237 119 225 8 407 £5 30 155 (•— 1918 157 45 1263 228 163 201 438 2* 8 107 2 11 l::rlltim«,MM s IS o Public- School Division . Farm and Garden Produc s 2 S13 . 1169 2 —- 120S 1425 ~ 1401 1394 1675 2670