THE BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 29, 3 February 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

(From Our Special i.'orrcsiJoutlL-nt.) LONDON", December IP. I hear that an important meeting c,: lhe council of the British Empire League was held on Wednesday afternoon, to receive the report of the- Provisional Committer, and to decide as to further action in the matter of the recently-mooted British Empire Exhibition. The whole council was summoned (to the number of over _0(l), and there was ,-i good attendance, wiih Lord Avehury in the chair. Sir Robert Herbert, chairman of Lhe Executive Comlaitlec of the League, gave an account of what had been already done, after which the chairman called upon Sir Walter Bul-

ler to move the iirst resolution, whicl

was as follows: "That it is desirable i.o bold v general and industrial exhibition of His .Majesty's possessions and protectorates (under the name of ''tlie llrilisli Empire Exhibition'), subject \o the recommendations made by lhe Provisional Exhibition Commit lee of 1 lie council.'"

Sir Walter Ruller, in moving the adoption of this resolution, said that since lhe proposal for a British Empire; Exhibition was lirsl discussed about two years ago, the sub-committee set up for that purpose had held very numerous meetings, and had been almost constantly engaged in making inquiries and collecting statistics on the subject. They had come unanimously to the conclusion that such an exhibition as that proposed c-onid nol be held al a more opportune lime, that it would appeal powerfully "i the imagination and sentiment of lhe public, and that, if conducted on intelligent commercial lines, would prove a

great financial success. Nearly twen'y years bad elapsed since the holding of the Colonial ancl Indian Exhibition ol South Kensington: and most of those present would remember that, that exhibition was an iirimeii.se success, no less than live- and a half million visitors having passed the turnstiles between the months of .May and October in ISSIi. The success of that undertaking was assured from the first, in spite of many diiliccill ies and some serious drawbacks —sue.i as depression iv the colonies and so

forth. Those present who had official association with that exhibition could not fail to remember bow unabated was the interest up to the very last, and how geueral the de-ire that the exhibition, as a whole, should be re-opened in the following year, although that, was found io be quite impracticable, The last twenty years had been a period of unexampled activity all over the Empire, iti the way of expansion and development. It had witnessed the birth of the great Australian Commonwealth, the addition of onor two -mall colonies and protectorates to the Crown, and tlie. acquisition by

eonquesi of a va-l territory in South Africa. Ii v.a- only by bringing together, in friendly competition, the various par's of the Empire and I heir products, and comparing tin- present with the. past, i hat we could adequately understand or measure the marvellous strides that bad been made during the last twenty years in material wealth and prosperity. At no time probably in the history of this country had the colonies attracted so much attention and interest as at this moment. All this favoured the scheme of a public exhibition, the main objectof which would be to demonstrate the natural resources and capabilities of our colonies, and to illustrate tbe value to the nation of extensive over-sen posses-

-ions, only awaiting for their full development the necessary expenditure of British energy and capital. The subcommittee believed they were justified in concluding that if the exhibition were carried out on the lines proposed it would prove lo l„- the Jinest exhibition ever seen in England; that il would benefit alike the Mother Country and ihe colonies, tend to strengthen the bond.- of union and good fellowship, and greatly promoi.e, ihe main aim of the league, namely, the expansion of ihe national trade by a .-loser intercourse and the better consoii-

Dat ion ot t he Umpire. The resolution was seconded by Sir .lane- I'lvth. Bart., and Lord Knutsford, Mr. B. Cohen. M.P-, Sir John liiamston. Sir Rivers Wilson. Sir (Jeranl Smith. Sir Frederick Voting and other.- -poke- strongly in support of it. Then a critical discussion ensued, and an amendment was moved by Mr- Samuel, M.P. This was duly seconded, but in the end was withdrawn, and the resolution was then carried unanimously. Subsequently a strong Finance Committee was appointed, with Lord Kotbschild as chairman, to carry through the necessary arrangements.