THE NEW-ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 116, 16 May 1906, Page 5

THE NEW-ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

AUCKLAM)'S liACK 01 , OTEKEST.

THE .QNLY-PROVINCE WITHOUT A ;. r.v , . ; -■: • COURT. : ? '■■■■in view""of the fact -that Mr D. C. Mclrttyre, Commissioner for the forthcoming International/ Exhibition at ; Christchurch,' has proceeded to the ;Waikato' to meet the business people of Hamilton and Cambridge with the view of Arranging for, a Waikato Court, ,i "Star" reporter this morning called upon Mr W. R. Holmes, the locals hono"rary secretary fo ( theexhibition;to'inquire as !to how the of Auckland was to i"be represented at this premier of New Zealand's expositions. ,: The information acquired was well calculated to confirm .the belief in Auckland's' spirit of laissez f dire when energy and enterprise are needed. Upon being asked. Mr Holmes afforded the very surprising- information that Auckland; -the largest and wealthiest centre in-New Z&ar land, is the only, one that is unrepresented by a provincial court.-. This 'means■■that' while each of the" other -Various districts Hvjll advertise its resources and -industries to-the liest* possible! advantage in a special bay or section, the , exhibits from, the Northern province will be scattered'in individual and comparatively: insignificant -effort, :.sandr wicliod \and bedwarfed among the , more imposing collections made by : smaller but more enterprising districts. As Mr Holmes remarked, such a state of affairs will be.a disgrace to Auckland, undoubtedly adapted as it is to make the. best display iri the'whole' colony. "What with our wide agricultural Resources, our flax, our gold, kauri gumj. timber, coal, and a multitude of minor natural products, not to speak of the largV number of manufacturing industries^ , that flourish here, we should be able and\willing to make an Auckland Court one of the main features of the Exhibitionj"-af-firmed Mr Holmes. Hawke's ; Bay, Taranaki, 'Nelsorif -Westlanay Canterbury, Dunedin, and even the Jlanawatu, were all to be represented, he said; and now- the Wai; kato people were deeirous of having their district included among the courts. These representations .of the- various [centres vere to be apart from independent and individual lopai exhibits, which/ would also be made. ■ ' • -' ».

Mr. Holmes, in deploring 1 the lack of enterprise shown by "Auckland,', said' he; had done his utmost to have the...province' represented, and had /mentioned the matter to the secretary of the. Aucki; land Agricultural Society, thinking they might rise to the occasion, but after considering the matter the society had refused to carry out any project'in. the direction suggested.' The Chamber pf Commerce soemed to be equally lethargic in ; its attitude, and*, in fact, it seemed as if npthing but a dynamite explosion would dissipate the general indifference among lo^al jmanufacttiring and business men to united action in the , matter', of provincial representation. Under the Eihibition Act,, passed last year, special authority was given to Jocal bodies to contribute -tbwiirds representative exhibits, And only yesterday lie-bad noticed a telegram in the from Christchurch to the effect ••'- th4t the City Council had" voted £300 towards their exhibit. Were the local bodies here to take the matter iip, and bal supported by the different .commercial and indue* trial people'of the province, a great number of splendid exhibits advertising the resources, chai-acteristics," and' beauties of the North 'would; quickly be '■•' forthcoming, said Mr.'Holmes. A large number of applications had been received by him from interested people, offering to supply various exhibits which could only he shown in a provincial court. For'test anee. a gentleman at Kawakawa (Bay of Islands) had written offering to lend a«fine collection of kauri gnm, one piece of which alone weighed 112 lbs; wtile representations ■ liad been received fripm several flaxdressers who are' .• willing- ito make \ip an exhibit of considerable, proportion and" interest, but who are not prepared to take up space and run it on their own account. If the agricultural authorities would interest thenieelves in the matter, splendid displays of duce' could be made from different parts of, the province, such as maize and sunflower seeds, which are peculiarly northern products, while in the various other branches of rural and pastoral pursuits., exhibits could bs made. second to none in the colony.

To show the importance and size of this exhibition; and the consequent adrisableness that a special court should ■ represent and advertise our Northern industries; Mr HWmes compared it with the last Auckland Exhibition, in which j exhibitor*: paid in all. some. .£ 2207 >for space. The space paid for totalled well under 50,000 cubic feet, while up to the present'time about 300,000 cubic feet of §pace have, been applied for in the forth- , coining exhibition at Ghristcturch, J involving; a total : sum. in rent of about £30,000/. The buildings vrill cover more ground than that taken up by the bnjldings of the; Melbourne Exhibition, while the cdmpletehess, .«tnd, excellence: of the management ensure/ for it - an undoubted, and unqualified success./ It; ie, in Bhortj almost imperative that Tre should be fit-V tiugly represented in.so. important . and' wide-reaching~ an exposition, btit if ac*' tion is. to be taken,, no time.is- to- be' lost. :Mr Mclntyre will probably be; back in Awckland '■ Waikato .visit within'the next-.few.^d.aySj.and-be- :- foie v.then ; some definite plan should ,be resolved upon ±o.lay before:him: In the. meantime it ,\vould .not ' \>c if.Jlie. meeting, of■ Auckland inanufactuyers and; business men, convened for at the-Chamber;of Coinmercej.;Tseve.;.to.'.iiiterestjtliemselves./in tiieimattgr and'..&t itiate some, definite for - the adequate upholding; of Auckland's., "credit ,iand -reputation by; a .representative; «|Xhibit of the resources j industries and-na-tural characteristics-, of.-the*prpvjncel The, space .applied- : ifof by exhibitors, said 3|r Holmes, yras quite sufficient novr-"to make ;a J CT J' .respectable collective sho\v,;!)ut unless-something Is done.;td;'niakc representative, Very few. visitors, to the ■ exhibition' -will know-where'our scattered units of ipdu?try liail from. / ' :. '.■:■■-...'".■" :V.. ■■ ■■' '■'■.'.'