A BOLD STROKE 



its next show, and that if Thame were quick 

 about it it would stand a good chance of being 

 selected. Further, I pointed out that the amount 

 of money that it would cause to be spent there, 

 particularly in connection with the hotels, would 

 be very considerable. All the judges and stewards 

 would have to be boarded and lodged, especially 

 at the principal hotel, and there would be show 

 catering and a grand annual dinner, which the 

 county M.P.'s would attend, to be provided. The 

 landlord took so kindly to the idea that, abandon- 

 ing further reticence, I went a step further, and 

 confided to him that what I had in my mind was 

 a visit from the famous Oxfordshire Agricultural 

 Society . I advised him to look up the townsfolk 

 at once, and, if they were equally favourable, to 

 get a public meeting called, at which resolutions 

 could be passed inviting the Society, and opening 

 a subscription list, as the Society would expect 

 100 down and a suitable site for a Show Yard 

 provided free of cost to it. Having put the matter 

 so far in train, other negotiations followed, and 

 ere long I was able to report to my committee that 

 there was a burning desire on the part of Thame 

 to receive the Society, and to conform to the 

 conditions with respect to the monetary payment 

 and a show yard. This would put us in a 100 

 better position to start with than we should be at 

 either Oxford or Banbury. 



Then I felt I had something worth talking and 

 writing about, and newspaper-editors, whom I 

 interviewed, saw with me that if we could keep 

 the old Society afloat it would mean orders for 

 advertising and printing, which serve to sustain 



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