“A WASHOUT”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1941, Page 4

“A WASHOUT”

EASTERN SHOW COUNCIL UNDER FIRE WAIRARAPA P. & A. SOCIETY DISCUSSION. PROPOSED ACTION WITH MASTERTON. ("Times-Age” Special.) Strong exception to the manner in which the affairs of the Eastern District Council of the Royal Show Society of New Zealand were being conducted was taken by a meeting of the Wairarapa and East Coast P. and A. Society held at Carterton on Saturday. The Eastern District Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand advised that the four retiring members this year were Sir William Perry, Messrs J. Graham, J. M. James and J. A. McFarlane, all of whom were eligible for re-election.

“The Eastern District Council is a washout. We have never received any consideration from it. It is practically a defunct council,” said the president, Mr J. A. McLeod. He pointed out that he had never received any information concerning its activities although he was a delegate and had attended one meeting. “That meeting was held at an impossible time—on a Saturday morning. It meant staying the weekend at Hastings,” added Mr McLeod. A member stated that he'had attended a meeting as delegate one year. Some two weeks later he was advised that he should not have been present.

Mr A. E. Hall: “A cuckoo in the nest!" “It look the council 18 months to reply to a letter we sent, about that.” said Mr Smart. In reply to a question he said that the society had to pay the Royal Agricultural Society one per cent on subscriptions collected, of which the Eastern Council, received half. “Hawke's Bay has always been isolated,” he said. “I don’t wish to cause friction with the Hawke’s Bay Society but I cannot understand why the council's headquarters were fixed at Hawke’s Bay.” After further discussion it was decided to communicate with the Masterton A. and P. Association with a view to taking joint action.