INDUSTRIAL DISPLAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 23

INDUSTRIAL DISPLAY.

MARVELLOUS COTTON EXHIBITS.

cigarette and lighting machine combined.

BRITISH OPTICAL DISPLAY.

QUEEN AT N.Z. STALL.

(From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, February, 17. The Lancashire cotton industry may j, e in a parlous state, but it must have quite a lot of brain and organising power left in it. No one who visited the White Citv could be other than amazed at the colossal effort made by a trade which is said to be already decrepit—miles of gtands showing every variety of goods that human ingenuity can furnish are displayed at the White City. At Olvmpia there is everything the world wants, and at, the Albert Hall, that astonishing new industry artificial silk— alleged to be the assassin of the cotton industry—is holding court. The 8.1. F., short for the British Industries Faic, of 1931, is living up to the reputation of its short life of little over ten yeais. It is, in fact, a "biff" for the pessimists. And the 'White City especially displays showmanship at its high-water maik. The wares are in ravishing colours set out by an artist's hand. One wanders along corridors which are feasts of colour. Down one are scenes of life in every clime showing the use of cotton in dress for the inhabitants. "East of Suez" is one scene, parading in the midst of others are Javanese and Chinese, settlers in parts of our far flung Empire complete in cotton frocks, duck suits, but none, I observe, have taken' to the straw "boater," which the Prince of Wales has adopted for his present tour. It was at the end of this scenic display of the uses of cotton that the tent nseil by the Duke of Gloucester "on safari" in Africa was to be seen, as good as ever, but showing the marks of constant use, especially the green canvas bath, the colour of which was but a muddy green after such hard use in the tropics. The tent, too, of Captain Scott's polar expedition, nearby, showed how cotton as canvas ministered to man's needs at both extremes of climate. A finely staged exhibit was that made by the cotton growers of the Empire arranged scientifically and yet interesting to the man'in the street. It was an tye-opener to see how many are doin<* it. Fiji figures and Australia, as well as Africa. v - The Queen arrived yesterday punctually at three o'clock and intended walking through a mile of the display. In {he end she bravely trudged along 3$ miles.: Lord Derby, as becomes a Lancashire magnate, was acting as Her Majesty's cicerone and the Queen told Mm: "I have never realised before what Lancashire can do with cotton—that «otton can be put to so many uses, prejented in so many colours or worked into to many materials." She"gasped when a misty-eyed bride glided. past in a gown of the purest ihimmering silk. For that "purest jhimiuering silk" was cotton. The mannequin parade provided for Her Majesty ranged through every kind of costume, evening dresses that were dreams, beach suits and pyjamas fit for my surfing seaside; in all 432 mannequins! ;ars on duty and of these the Queen «aw the most dazzling. At Olympia everything manufactured in the British Empire—other than cotton uid artificial silk —were shown, and right, on the doorstep of the Empire Marketing Board's section is the New Zealand stall. Few who enter Olympia tan fail to see and to know that New Zealand- is- indeed the Empire's dairy j farm or to note the excellence of, its lamb, butter and honey. The sale of samples was going on briskly, although the public had only just begun to arrive. The 8.1. F. is strictly a trade show until four in the afternoon; after that the, general public is .permitted to see what industry is doing.

Her Majesty and Plucky N.Z. The Queen, indefatigable as ever, •pent some time on her round at Olympia at the New Zealand stall. After remarking, "Your beautiful butter again!"- she'went on to speak of the disastrous earthquake, and gave high praise to the people in the devastated irea.. How plucky, Her Majesty said, have the people of New Zealand been in so quickly setting to reconstructing their' buildings. . As a subsidiary industry to food pro-duction-we ought to mention that in a comparatively new line for Great Britain, one firm is exhibiting which made cans as fruit containers last .year. If: anything, could be stressed in an ill-over excellence, the display of optical glass y should be mentioned, for here Britain has won from Germany its former -pre-eminence in lens making. A real novelty shown was an automatic machine. It is a contrivance which delivers a lighted cigarette for a penny placed in a slot. It is an electrically worked contrivance, which passes -the end of a cigarette over a heated filament and then slides the burning cigarette out into two hooks, so that the smoker may pick it up quickly tnd easily. With cigarette smoking so freely indulged in by both sexes, we are glad to add that Olympia is also showing fireproof fancy dresses. They are of specially proofed crepe paper in 14 different varieties, which are sold retail 2/11. Even at 2/11 a paper dress would be dear if it, as most, paper does, burned quickly. The 8.1. F. is, in short, a very fine effort to "tell the world" that the British Empire is self-contained, and that British manufacturers can supply anything that is required, from a hair-pin to an ocean liner, in.good quality and at comparative price.