Hagen Wants

To Show Them How

Prom a Mt. Hagen Correspondent Mt. Hagen is booked out. Anybody 'ho hasn’t organised their ac ommodation by now will be unlucky, r else they will have to adjust things 'ith special air schedules. The tason for it is the first annual Astern Highlands Show which, on eptember 23-24, will finally bring us progressive area of New Guinea lto line with the other show centres f the Territory.

TS easy to claim that any particu ; lar show is going to be “the fggest and best ever held in the erntory”, but that’s what they are iyin g here, and they honestly mean It is extraordinary the fervour that as been mounting locally over this low. The atmosphere also seems nave caught on elsewhere. When I - ently made a tour of coastal ' res > everywhere people asked me w the Hagen show plans were omg. ,_M r - lon Bastow, Western High iihiL-f I lstrict Agriculture Society Cl ty officer, stressed in a state

ment the other day that visitors need not worry about accommodation, “because no matter how many people visit Mt. Hagen we will fit them in somehow”.

He said private homes were co operating, and planters from out of town would take the overflow. He’s certainly right, in that everyone is in this right up to the neck, but with the best will in the world there must be a limit as to how much of the overflow can be absorbed.

Still, we’ll all manage. As Mr.

Bastow puts it so colourfully, “We are putting everything into it. We are going to town. We are planning for a record crowd. We will cater for the players and stayers, the Terri torians who claim they never want to sleep”.

That’s certainly telling them!

Acres of native foods have been planted to help feed the thousands of natives who are also going to turn up for the Western Highlands first show.

Miles of crotons, coleus, stacia and other flowers are being planted along

each side of the roads leading to Mt. Hagen. Yellow, red and multi coloured blooms will make a real display by late September.

A big show ring is being built, with most of the buildings permanent or semi-permanent.

There will be a full programme of ring events—equestrian, foot racing, tug-of-war, archery, spear throwing, bicycle riding, greasy pole, wood chopping, cross-cut saw events and athletics.

Mr. H. Bromley, president of the Mt. Hagen Pony and Track Club, affiliated with the Queensland and New South Wales Pony Clubs As sociation, said there would be 25 equestrian events at the show, in cluding special classes.

He added: “A big feature will be made of polocrosse. We are building a stable for 60 horses. We have ac ceptances from Kainantu, Goroka and Sogeri. If the Australian team visits Sogeri, it will come to Mt. Hagen.

“This will ensure that the largest gathering of polocrosse players the Territory has ever seen will be at Mount Hagen.”