THE NEW ZEALAND COURT IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

Bruce Herald, Volume XII, Issue XII, 14 November 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE NEW ZEALAND COURT IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

- » (Condensed from the 'Sydney Mail/) After alluding in complimentary terms, by way of introduction, to the importance and progress of New Zealand as a British C-dony, and to the intelligence and enterprise of its inhabitants, the article speaks of Dr Hector (our Commissioner) as follows : — He has labored indefatigably to place his colony before the public here in the most favorable light. lie is familiar with every exhibit, has the advantage of a many-sided scientific culture, performs his duties, nob in a perfunctory spirit, but with unfeigned enthusiasm, and is eager to afford the information with which his own mind i 3 stored. His catalogue was out before any other, and is a great assistance in understanding the exhibits ; and he has also issued an admirable " Handbook of New Zealand." Of the latter we hope to speak more at .length on a future occasion; suffice it here to say that it is packed wifch interesting information, brought down to the latest date, and elucidated by a series of maps arid plates. We begin with mining, metallurgy, aod their products. The limited space at the disposal of the Commissioner has required the separation of the exhibits that fall under this department, so that they do not readily command the attention which their importance deserves. The plan which has been adopted is that some very heavy blocks of building stone are placed in the grounds outside. The rest of tlie building stones and polished marbles, together with fire-bricks, drain pipes, and blocks and pillars of coal are arranged in the basemeufc allotment. The metallic ores and the ornamental stone carving are under glass in the principal Court, while fche museum collection consisting of completely classified collections of rocks, minerals, and fossils, together with illustrative maps, plans, and sections, are ar*. ranged in the gallery. Gold specimens have naturally a prom- ' inent place, and occupying the most prominent position afc the entrance of the Court is a handsome glass case, in which, with a fine epergne made by Sandstein, of Christchurch, for a centrepiece, are tastefully arranged interesting -specimens of 150 alluvial gold samples exhibited by the Bank of New Zealand and the New Zealand Museum. From the number of entries of tailings sent by the various mining companies, it seems that the invitation of the International Commissioners to send samples for the purpo.se of testing has been largely taken advantage of, and it is hoped that the trials will be conducted in such a manner as to lead to beneficial results. From the trrphy erected in the transept we learn that the total yield of the New Zealand gold-fields since IS6I has been 9,253,021 oz., or 255 tons, valued at £36,227,114. The annual yield has somewhat declined of late years, and the gold is now obtained chiefly by the systematic miniug of quartz reefs, and from auriferous cements, extensive deposits of which, hitherto overlooked, are now being discovered over large areas. We understand that the diamond drill is to be used in tracing the deposits, and that Dr Hector has beeu deputed by his Government to arrange with the Sydney Diamond .Drill Co. for its use in New Zealand. Iron ores of every description would appear to abound in _*iew Zealand, but an interesting series of exhibits illustrating tho munufacture of steel and railway wheels from the Taranaki iron sand, and hematite paint, manufactured from litnoiiite ore from the Para Para, are the only exhibits that show that the ores are being turned to account. In building materia's the exhibits are very superior and valuable. Building stones of every description are shown ; of these the palm will probably be awarded to the beautiful white calcareous freestone from the Oamaru quarries, which possesses all the qualities requisite for a cheap working and highly ornamental building stone. These samples show that it cau be turned in a lathe or worked in a moulding and planing machine with the same facility as wood, while its uniformity of grain is illustrated by the exquisite carvings from nature by Mr L. Godfrey, whose skill as a carver is also displayed in a beautiful collection of wood carvings of birds, fishes, and other natural objects. Marbles are represented b\ r polished blocks from Otago, Canterbury, and the West Coast, and include almost eveiy variety of color and texture from such as are adopted to ordinary monumental and decorative building to pure statuary marble. The rooting slates exhibited by the Otago Slate Company possess the valuable quaiity of perfect cleavage, lightness strength, aud thorough mineralization, so as to resist moisture, and appear to be quite equal in quality to the hem imported slates. A very important exhibit is the kerbing and basecourse building stone of the Port Chalmers Building Stone Co., which has been used for dock building and. other heavy works, for which it is eminently adapted by its toughness and its free-work-i ing qualities.

There are eleven entries of coal in the catalogue referring to large blocks and pillars of coal showing the nature of the seams that are being worked. One of the pillars, 15 feet high, represents only half the thickness of the 30 feet seam that is being worked on Mount Eochfort. The railway works and approaches to this mine, which include a self acting incline for an altitude of 1800 feet, are almost complete, and in a few months the output of coal on a large scale will be commenced. The coal ts hard and bright, and the excellent sample of its coke proves thafc ifc must be classed with the btsfc bitumin ons coal. The coal exhibited from the Greymouth field by the Brunner and Coal Pit Heath Companies is cf the same description, although more friable in texture, while the Collingwood coal is even harder, and by analysis and crial is shown to be a valuable gas-producer. Of the soap exhibits, the most praiseworthy are those of the Parnell Soap Factory, Auckland, and Macleod Brothers' Dunedin. Another noteworthy exhibit is the stoneware, drainpipes, ancl pottery ware, from Austin and Kirk (Christchurch). The heavy ware is good, but the speciality is the lighter ware, which might well have been entered as works of art, some of tlie articles shown being exceedingly beautiful in design, and admirable in execution. Earthenware is also represented by a creditable collection of jugs, vases, &c, from a co-operative company at Dunedin. (Otago by the way, is evidently pushing, its way vigorously along the line of manufactures.) Immediately on entering the New Zenland Court, the visitor is challenged by the lead, copper, and brass goods, exhibited by Messrs A. and T. Burt, of Dunedin. No superior exhibit of this kind —if any equal to it — can be found in auy other colonial Court, and indeed it is one which we should have expected to see only in the Biitish or one of the Continental Courts. The quality of the workmanship is excellent, as experts have testified, and we are not surprised that the firm is doing a large business in New Zealand, nor should we be surprised, if its operations were extended to this side of the water. Messrs Burt now employ about a hundred men. Perhaps the most striking New Zealand exhibit is fche furniture. This has attracted everybody's attention ancl won ! everybody's admiration, and thousands of i predictions to the effect that \ ew Zealand will become a great furniture-exporting country have been uttered. The shrewd people of that colony are taking advantage of the fact that the islands — the North Island particularly— produce practically unlimited quantities of timber of rich and varied beauty, and which can be easily work'd by almost any tool. The magni tmle of Guthrie and Larnach's woodworking factories at Dunedin is a thing of which New Zea'and might be proud, ani the premier position which Dr Hector has assigned to their exhibits is fully justified by the intrinsic excellence and importance of the goods which they have sent. From wood in its furnitures-manufac-tured state the transition to wood in its unmanufactured state — to timber — is an easy and natural one. New Zealand may justly be proud of its forest trees, whicb constitute a source of natural wealth scarcely tapped as yet. A valuable descriptive list will be found in Dr Hector's •• Handbook," to which we must refer the reader who desires more ample informa tion. In this department the timber shown by Dr Hector, from the Colonial Museum, are very interesting, and specially valuable to builders and engineers. This collection includes specimens of all the New Zealand woods which have actually been tested, kept for reference, and upon eacli is noted full information as to the breaking strain, the tensile strain, the specific gravity, the weight of the wood in logs, and its elasticity. The strong brown paper shown in another parfc of the Court is from the Mataura paper-mill which work up the Denthonia, a grass allied to the Spanish Esparto. Paper-making, fish-curing, and the manufacture of iron have been specially fostered by the Government of New Zealand, who have offered bonuses for the production of the articles named, and as far as the quality of the paper is concerned the experiment appeal's to have been attended with satisfactory results. Theie is probably no one who has inspected tbe tweeds and other ay tic res made by the Mosgiel Company who hatnot felt that iv this important; branch of manufacturing industry New Zealand has outstripped Australia, and is fully abreast of Great Britain herself. All colonial productions in this department have the great recommendation of purity oi material, but the New Zealand goods have a fineness of texture and finish which can hardly be surpassed in any part of the world, and the patterns of the Mosgiel Company leave nothing to be desired. The secret of their preeminence is to be found in the fact that tliey have availed themselves of the latest improvements in machinery. They have no less than three times sold out their plant to make room for better, and some of their discarded looms are now ab work in Australia. Tbe blankets and other woolen goods made by the Kaiapoi Co. are extremely creditable productions, though tbek t weeds are not equal to those of the Mosgiel Co. These two companies make a large range of goods, and show pretty conslusively j thai New South. Wales manufacturers have work before them if they hope to compete successfully with their New Zealand rivals. While speaking of tweeds, we may mention that the bulk of fche New Zealand wool is coming forward for the December competition. Only a few fleeces are shown in the Garden Palace l up to the present.

We made notes of several exhibits, only a few of which can even be mentioned. j One is, specimens of the jade (commonly known as greenstone), .manufactured and unmanufactured, from Proctor, of Christ*, church. Another is some excellent ! examples of bookbinding. Another is a piece of wrought iron work — a fuchsia on a stick, a unique work of art, by Peter Birley, an engineer's smith, of Auckland. Another is a set of carriage harness furniture, close plated on German-silver,. very handsome indeed, by Cook, of Auckland. Another is a curious machine designed to utilise wave power. This machine could be used to compress air to drive an air engine, or to work the electric light afc any lighthouse, or for other purposes on the sea coast. No difference would be made in the forward motion by the irregularity of the waves. With a cylinder 20ffc. in diameter and 18 -ft. wave per minute, the machine would be equal to 19 horse power, and with three waves per minute, each sft., it ivould give 22-horse power. Another is a numher of carvings in wood and stone, by Godfrey, of Oamaru. Two others are samples of confectionery from the factories of Griffiths of Wellington, and Waters of Auckland. Griffiths also exhibits some very fine biscuits. Three classes of exhibits we reserve for special notice hereafter. One is the department of arts, in which the New Zealand Court is rich. The second is the literary exhibits, which are extremely interesting. And last, though not least, the magnificent collection of agricultural exhibits. But the. general impression made upon us by the Court, and that we would convey to our readers, is that New Zealand is a vigorous ancl progressive colony, with a past of which she has no need to be ashamed, and a future which is grander than her past. No wonder that the Government are persistently advertising the colony's advantages ; no wonder that it is a favourite field for British emigration.