TARATA DOG TRIALS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 April 1921, Page 2

TARATA DOG TRIALS.

A RECORD MEETING. THE ANNUAL BALLThe fourteenth annual dog trials in connection with the Tarata Sheep Dog Trial Club, .which were held on Thursday and Friday at Mr. R. Paterson’s farm, must be ranked as among the most the club has ever held. The entries—l 23 in all—were easily a record, whilst the- .work was of a very high standard. All the officials, including liefists. S? George (flag steward), H. Lambert (ground steward), T._ . Hogan (dog steward), D. Lambert (mounted; steward), F. Standish, Drummond, Barr, and Paterson (sheep stewards), did their work well, so that there was. no delay in running off the trials. Mr. W. Topping, the secretary, had splendid arrangements made- The social side was up to the usual high standard. On Thursday evening the annual ball took ’ place in the hall, which was crowded, visitors being present from .Mata.il, Kaimata, Inglewood, etc., -and a moat enjoyable time was spent, excellent music being provided by Miss Curd’s orchestra, whilst extras w«.re played by Mr. J. Archibald. Messrs. SGeorge and J. Drummond, as M.’sC. kept matters moving merrily. THE SMOKE CONCERT. The annual smoke concert was held in the Tarata Hall on Friday evening, the president (Mr. H. Sander) presiding over a good attendance of members and visitors. .

After the usual loyal toast had ‘been honored, “The Navy and Army” was proposed by Mr. H. O. Douman, who stated that he. had lost two sons in the European War, but he gave them freely, so that New Zealand might be free from the German yoke. New Zealand was a. glorious Country, and he urged all to do .their utmost to make conditions happier by all working in harmony. Captain Cameron, in responding, stressed the necessity for keeping the army a vital force in New Zealand. Jt was also necessary that the British Empire should remain united if it were to be a strong force in any future war. Mr. O’Shaughnessy also responded. “The Tarata Dog Trial Club” was proposed by Mr. E. Johnson and responded to by Mr. H. Lambert, who referred to the progress that had been made during the fourteen years the club had been in existence. He said the worst dog run at this trial was better than the best that had won at .the first trials, proving that the trials had educated the young shepherds in the handling of their dogs and sheep. He referred to the sportsmanlike action of Mr. Tocker in withdrawing from the last two events after winning the first two, so as to give the other competitors a chance. Mr. W- Topping, the secretary, also responded. He expressed regret that it would not be possible to award the special prizes that evening, as the judge had to hurry away to fill another appointment, but he would post the awards at an early date. The president then read the prize list as published, remarking that S. George won the maiden cup outright. “Visiting Competitors” was proposed by Mr. H. Lambert, who paid a special tribute to men who had ridden 70 miles to take part in the trials. This was re. sponded to by Messrs. Williams, Harland, and Johnson. Mr. M. S. Cameron, in proposing “The Ladies,” referred to the valuable help the club had received from the ladies, who had devoted two Tyhole days to the catering, which had contributed so much to the success of the gathering, and Messrs. McMullan and Ball responded. The president then proposed “The Patron,” remarking how indebted the club were to Mr. R. Paterson for the use of his property each year, and also to Messrs. O’Reilly for the use of their sheep. Messrs. D. Paterson and O’Reilly responded. Mr. Topping stated that short notice had travelled over very rough country to get the sheep for the trials, “The Farming Industry” was proposed by Mr. R. L. Cutfield, who stated that Taranaki farmers were at present in the best position in' the Dominion on account of the dairyingOther parts of the Dominion had felt , the pinch severely, but thanks to the cow Taranaki so far had . felt it com-

paratively little. Mr. F. F. Standish said that it was always better to look on the bright side of things. They had seen rises and falls in the past, and though, this was the worst he had ever experienced, he felt that in the course of a few months the Premier and his colleagues would evolve some method of improving the shipping, which he considered had a good deal to do with the low price of stock. Mr. R. J, Morey said that while dairying*at the present time was just the thing, he felt that there was every prospect of meat and wool, etc., improving. Other toasts were: “The Visitors,” proposed by .Mr. F. M. Standish and responded to by Messrs- Grylls and Julian; “The Press,” proposed by the chairman and responded to by the representative of the Taranaki Daily News. The committee and the chairman were also toasted. During the evening a splendid musical programme was rendered, items being contributed by Messrs. J. Archibald, F. Julian, J. Burr, D. Patersbn, D. Lambert, D. Burr. M. S- Cameron, H. O’Donovan, Dixon, Nelson, Inglis and Harland, all being recalled. Messrs. F. Julian, J. Archibald and Eliott played the accompaniments.