INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 197, 18 August 1908, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION.

SPEECH BY THE PREMIER. Sir Joseph Ward, accompanied by Lady Ward, Dr. and Sirs. Findlay and the Hon. Geo. Fowlds, attended) the New Zealand Industries Exhibition yesterday afternoon at the invitation of the president. Though the Ministerial visitors had gone to the exhibition with the intention of having but a hasty look over the place they became very interested, and stayed a considerable time. Eventually speeches were delivered.

The Premier, in a bright speech, expressed his appreciation of the benefits to be derived from such exhibitions. The display, he said, was not a large one, but was thoroughly representative, and demonstrated* what we could do in New Zealand l , especially .in Auckland, in the matter of local productions from the raw products of the Dominion, by members of our own community spending their money in our midst. The opportunity was given of seeing what could be done with what was supposed to be very poor, indifferent gum land, but it had produced two crops of magnificent swede turnips in very short time. As sure as day followed night the result of this proof that the land was not valueless would be that other people would take up land in the vicinity, and after the gum had disappeared, the valuable occupation of cultivating the soil would be proceeded with. The class of land holder who had grown profitable vegetables on this land, which was supposed to be useless except for gum-working, was the kind of man wanted in New Zealand, and more of them could be done with. It was a fine illustration of how waste land could be made money-producing. It was by throwing nothing away, and by the utilisation of our raw materials by cur own colonists that the .country would advance industrially. We had come to realise that we could make nearly everything in New Zealand now that we had mechanics with up-to-date machinery. And New Zealand could produce and manufacture just as cheaply and effectually as countries abroad. It was by supporting locol industries and helping our most gracious and enterprising manufacturers that we could hope to increase the prosperity which had been shining upon this country for a' number of years. Although New Zealand has occasional fluctuations, it i=» going along in the right direction, and if they wanTed encouragement to have faith in their country, let them look at an exhibition of this kind. Let them consider the money which must have been put into machinery by the big manufacturers of New Zealand, and confidence in the country would be renewed. If New Zealanders have not confidence in their country they could not expect othera beyond our shores to have confidence in it. If we were the first to cry out against ourselves and show a want of confidence in our country, we might depend that like an echo reverberating through tho hills the cry would be taken up by people outside. The naval visitors who had been ferried from the Great White leviathans-of the deep across the Waitcmata to Auckland and had visited the Exhibition must have carried away splendid impressions of New Zealand. He was thankful to the president and committee of the Association for extending the invitation and furnishing the opportunity of seeing the handiwork and scientific development of the country, and he hoped that as the years went on Auckland would have a permanent industrial hall large enough for the requirements of the city and surroundings. He wished the manufacturers of Auckland, tho Exhibition, aud tho Association the success deserved. When tho ilain Trunk lino was completed, he hoped to sec Aiicklanders going down and entering into business competition, for competition was the life of commercialism, if they continued their enterprises, they would reap the reward which they thoroughly deserved. (Applause.) HON. DR. FINDLAY. The Hon. Dr. Findlay (Attorney General) pointed out that for New Zealand to fulfil its <l?stiny properly, thoroughness must* be looked to first and placed before cheapness. To be thorough was to attain to excellence: to aim at cheapness generally led to bad workmanship, and often to sweating. By setting up thoroughness as its goal, New Zealand might become the ideal manufacturing country in the world. HON. GEO. FOWLDS. The Hon. G. Fowlds spoke of the pride he felt because of the good impressions the exhibition had given all the visitors. Auckland's representatives in Wellington had endeavoured to make the wonderful capabilities of the northern province known, but their efforts had been regarded as mere boasts. Th? southerners had now seen that the picture had not been too glowingly painted—that many of Auckland's features had been untold of. On the day the first through train arrived from Wellington, Auckland entered upon a new era: a path had baen made by which the rest of New Zealand could come to ses the wonders of Auckland. Auckland was about to be appreciated.

Cheers were given for the Ministers, and Sir Joseph led cheers for the Industrial Association.