THE WINTER SHOW.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1919, Page 6

THE WINTER SHOW.

• PROPOSED ABANDONMENT^ . 'A special meeting of the committee of J the Taranaki ■ Agricultural Society was held on Saturday last to discuss a recommendation from the Finance Committee that the 1920 winter show be abandoned. Mr W. _B. Grant presided and there was a large attendance. After the chairman had explained the object for which the meeting had been called Mr S&irbrother proposed that it be a recommendation to the annual meeting cf the society that the" 1920 winter show be abandoned. Speaking in support of his motion, Mr Fairbro" ther said the Finance Committee had gone very carefully into the question and had come to the conclusion, though reluctantly, that the winter show be üba&doned. The short was losing in its attractiveness. Too many cheap jacks had stands in the main hall, though he admitted that this was due almost entirely to the lack of support on the part of many of the business people, who no doubt could, but would not, make exhibits. Then again very few of the tradespeople were prepared to Tender nny ftfiaucial assistance. The wiiter show was essentially a town show and the ' tradespeople should be prepared to oome?forward in a practical way. flrith their assistance and not be content to leave the whole responsibility on the society. If the winter show was tp be continued then it would be neeMgary to erect a new building in place of the two annexes, which were only constructed temporarily and were now in a more or less dilapidated condition. A building to meet present Tequirements it was estimated would cost approximately £3OOO and the society, he pointed out, could not possibly finance it. The idea therefore was that the winter show shouM be ahundnpori and that the annexes, with th e exception of portion of the one immediately alongside the Coronation Hall, should be removed and the material used in improving the facilities at the stock show grounds at Waiwakaiho. The butter and cheese and home industries sections of the winter show would then be transferred to the autumn show and the poultry section could hold its annual fixture in iie Coronation Hall, the annexe it was proposed to leave being utilised for the storage of the poultry show appointments. £ Mr BfentArt seconded the motion, and remarked that it was a, regrettable thing that in a town of this size there was not sufficient support forthcoming froffl the tradespeople and business people to enable the show to carry on. He argued that it was largely in the interests of the tradespeople to keep the show going and one would have thought the society would have received their whole-hearted support. 4- lengthy discussion ensued, and whilst several members of the committee lelt it would be a retrograde step, still' it wa9 'generally recognised that it was Impossible for the society to carry on tinder present conditions. It was pointed out that the motion was that the 1920 show be abandoned, and several members said that if pne chow was abandoned it would mean that the whole thing would be dropped for ■the future.- ■ Mr Fairbrother said that probably this would be so, especially as the idea was, as he suggested, to remove the temporary buildings and utilise the material at Waiwakaiho. However, so that there should he no misunder binding about the matter he would amend his motion to read that the winter show for the future be abandoned. •Mr Moore said that whilst he recognised the society could not continue the winter show under present conditions, he thought it would perhaps be as well for the society to call a public meeting and place the whole position before the townspeople before coming to any definite decision in regard to the matter. Perhaps some scheme could be devised whereby the town itself would finance the erection of the necessary buildings. The position was that the winter show had outlived its accommodation and that the society was not in a position to finance a building scheme. What wn required was another building providing a similar area of floor space to the Coronation Hall, but so constructed that different sections of the show could be housed in different halls, particular attention being paid to the necessary provision for working exhibits of dairy machinery, etc., which was entirely-lacking 6t the present time. Whilst not very Sanguine that anything would come of st, he felt that no harm could be done at anv rate in calling a public meeting aild if no practical scheme was evolved whereby the townspeople themselves would take over the greater share of the responsibility, then that would be. the end of the matter, and, reluctant as the society would be, it would have no alternative but to give effect to the mo-1 tion. now before the meeting. I Several members endorsed this view. The motion was carried almost unanimously, and it was further decided to call a public meeting prior to the annual meetingf.