Tumut Exhibition (Royal Agricultural Show)

27 April 1900 Hawkesbury Advocate (Windsor, NSW)

Although Tumut was last on the list, the exhibit from the district was in many respects superior to others.

We have emphasised the misleading results which will follow the taking of the total number of prints gained as a token of the wealth and importance of a district, and a careful analysis of the Tumut exhibit will further confirm such an opinion.

Taking five important articles for which this district obtained good points we find that in Dairy, Vegetables, Cereals, Mines, Building Material, Hay, and Chaff, a total of 28 points were gained out of a possible 46.

With the exception of wool, these are five of the most important articles of produce that the colony produces.

In tobacco Tumut gained four out of a possible five points, beating every other competing Society by at least two before.

The remarks concerning fruit made in reference to Orange apply to some extent to Tumut, while manufactures, another item in which the district scored lightly, is an industry that grows with a district, so that since Tumut has proved that she can produce Cereals, Vegetables, Building Material, Hay, Chaff, etc., of an excellent variety the future, so far as manufactures is concerned, is assured.

Mr. Lord, one of the Agricultural Department Instructors, in course of conversation remarked that in many respects, and taking all things into consideration, the Tumut exhibit was the best of the lot, and the force of this unsolicited expert opinion will be recognised when we bear in mind a few salient facts in connection with the district.

Firstly, the town is not connected by rail with the world's markets: this fact alone would be sufficient to put many districts entirely out of the running.

Then, again, there is the disparity between the sizes of the rival towns, Tumut is but a village compared with Grafton, Mudgee, and Orange, whilst Glen Innes is a good deal bigger, and Grenfell much the same size.

It would augur ill for the success of Agriculture if these big settlements to which we have referred were unable, in a trial of resources such as this, to keep ahead of isolated districts like Tumut.

Taking all this into consideration the district made an excellent display, and there seems to be little more to say than to endorse the eulogistic opinion of Mr. Lord.

Next year the general public will look with interest for Tumut's exhibit, which was so well arranged that it gave a very agreeable finishing touch to the Country Exhibit Court, and which gave many people a very much better opinion of Tumut than they ever had before.