NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7252, 7 March 1889, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

MEETING WITH MR TWOPENY. Aspecial meetingof the Local Committee of the above was held at 3 p.ra. yesterday., Present — Messrs Kaye, Cunningham, Jenkins, Mitchell, Gamraack, ChrystaU, Meares, Howland, Henderson, Deans, Murphy, Kirk and Kinsey (Secretary). Apologies were received from His Worship the Mayor and Messrs Stead ana Clark. . . .. Mr Kate occupied the chair in the absence of the Mayor, and said that the Committee on Monday had gone through the programme and had marked some items for reference to Mr Twopeny, whom tney were glad to see there that day. Having gone through the programme they might then ask Mr Twopeny to give them a few remarks on the general question. He might say thac his Honor Mr Justice Denniston had taken a great interest in the Exhibition, and he would ask the Committee to elect His Honor on the Committee. The name of His Honor Mr Justice Denniston was added to the Committee. The Chairman said the next question was as to whether they could add any Commissioners, and if so, how many. Mr Twopeny said that they thought that there, was a very fair muster of Commissioners for Canterbury. TheCommissioners on the list for Otago were, he would point out, nearly all Chairmen of Committees, and, whilst there were sixteen Commissioners from Otago, the rest of the colony would on the lines spoken of by him have some thirty Commissioners. Mr Mitchell said all six names of the Commissioners proposed represented some branch of industry or public institutions, such as the Industrial Association, the Corn Exchange, and others. Mr Twopkny said chat with three more Canterbury would have five Commissioners. c Mr Chrystall pointed out that in Canterbury they had manufactories which they had not in other parts or" the colony. MrTwoPKXY said that of course if he gave six Commissioners to Canterbury and only three to Auckland there would be a row. Mr P. Cunningham asked if the Commissioners had limited their number? Mr TwoPiSNYsaid no. Mr Cunningham could not theu see why there should not 06 a hundred Commissioners so long as they complied with the requirements of the Commissioners. 'Mr Twopeny said, as he had pointed out, there would be thirty Commissioners from outside as compared with sixteen from Otago, which he thought was parting with as much of the financial control of the Exhibition as they could well be expected to do. Mr Chrystall pointed out that the voting of Commissioners on financial questions might restricted. In reply to Mr Cunningham Mr Twopeny said the Company would be responsible for any financial loss. The Commission, as now constituted, was composed half of guarantors and half of Directors of the Company. They would thus see that if they increased the outside Commissioners the financial control of the guarantors became beautifully les3. However, he would refer the matter to his colleagues. In reply to the question as to calling the Exhibition an international one. Mr Twopkny said that they had not called the Exhibition an international one, because they wanted it to be good of its kind, rather than pretend that it was better that it was. He was very much struck when in Melbourne with the fact that the International Exhibition wan more of an English and Australian Exhibition, and that the foreign exhibits were not as good as those in the Exhibition here in 1832. He did not chink th y ought when they were endeavoring to advertise the colony to discourage British exhibitors fro a exhibiting. Mr Howland contended that they could not undertake an International Exhibition or they would fail. Mr Twopeny said that they were not going to try to do this, but if the British exhibitors wished to come in as an extra Exhibition, they should be allowed to do if they paid for the space. The guarantors did not expect, he would point out, to make a financial success of the Exhibition in the sense that the guarantors expected to lose their money, but, still, the taking of British exhibits would not prejudice the success of the Exhibition. Mr Chkystall held with Mr Twopeny that the taking of foreign exhibits would hot prejudice the success; Mr Twopkny said that the taking of foreign exhibits would mean a cost of some £30UO or £4000, of which some £2000 would be recouped for space. If they had the British and foreign exhibits they would make the Exhibition much more attractive. Take, for instance, the South Sea part, by the co-operation of Sir Geo. Grey, Mr Baker, the- Premier of Tonga, and the Government of Honolulu, would be even more attractive than the New Zealand portion. Mr Howland would like to see the Exhibition an intercolonial one of their industries. Mr Twopeny pointed out that with the Rritish exhibits there would be an additional attraction. In reply to auother question, Mr Twopeny said that some of the shares had been taken up outside Otago. They would be delighted to receive the names of shareholders here. The next question was as to what the Government would do. Mr Twopeny said that the Government had agreed to erect the main building for the placing of the Maori exhibits aud specimens of the flora and fauna of the colony. This portion of the building would be open to t.he public. If the Government, as he hoped they would, oore a portion of the expense of the bringing over the English pictures these pictures would be free. If, however, the Commissioners had to pay the whole cost, the pictures would be placed in another room, and sixpence charged. The Exhibition would open on the 26th November , , and close in April. The date of the 26th April had been fixed after consultation with the Dunedin Jockey Club. The Commissioners would provide the building at the price per square foot fixed, and tnen Canterbury would have to arrange and decorate her Court. Obago would have to do the same. It seemed to him tae best way would be for the Local Committee to take so many thousand feet of space, and then till up with the private exhibitions which they might collect, ana charging the private exhioitors so much for the space. It seemed to him that by doing this the Local Committee woula be able to have enough to pay for their public exhibits, such as corn, &c. Local Committees had been formed in Wellington, Auckland, and in West laud. The plans for the Exhibition had not yet been completed. The Commissioners intended to place the Northern portion of the colony at the entrance, and so on as regarded geographical position, so thai would be last, thus giving their visitors the best positions. It was intended that all the Canterbury exhibits shouldcomeiu to the Local Secretary. The Fine Arcs Committee in Dunedin would, he supposed, appoint a sub-Committee in Canterbury and elsewhere. They desired to keep the fine arts portion as low as possible, but to make it good the provision of double charge to British exhibitors had been withdrawn. Mr Howlavd asked whether it had been pointed out to the British exhibitors that New Zealand provided a building for them. Mr TwoPEXY said it had, but the British exhibitors objected to pay more than New Zealand. He should be glad to insert as asked by th»» Committee, that the representatives of provinces should be allowed to group their exhibitions. It was intended as regarded the judging that the method followed out at the Exhioiion of 1882 sho ild be adopted. All the exhibitors had spoken in 1 he highest terms of the judging in Christchurch in 1882. which was, by the exhibitors recommending the judges to the Commissioners for selection. Mr Cunningham asked whether the Commissioners paid for the passages or not. Mr Twopeny said the local Committee would be only charged for the bays, which were 14ft deep. The frontage to the main avenue would be free. Mr Chrystall asked what were the charges on the fund now being raised. Mr Twopeny said the salary of the Secretary, the space taken by exhibits of a public character, and the decoration and general arrangement of Court. The more attractively the Canterbury Court was arranged and decorated the better it would be for them. He thought £1500 would be ample to cover all charges. Mr Kinsey pointed out that the Committee would have to pay for alley ways, which would not be covered by exhibitors, and would not be recouped u> the Committee. Mr Twopeny said that it was probable some arrangements might be made for allowance of passages. Mr Mitchell would put the case thus: If the Canterbury Committee had applications for 20,000 ft of space and applied for that they would require some 25,000 ft for passages, &c Now what the Committee

urged was that they should not be asked to pay for the extra 5000 ft for passages. Mr Twopeny quite agreed with this. Mr Chrystall pointed out that whilst Canterbury was paying for space for public exhibits Otago would not. Mr Cunningham asked whether the Commissioners intended to give them space free of charge for passages. Mr Twopkny said that the main avenue would be provided by the Commissioners, and the Local Committee would have to arrange for the passages round the exhibits in the bay. Mr Murphy asked whether, as the Government was putting up the main building, the public exhibits could not be exhibited free there. Mr Twopkny said it was anticipated that the Government would fill the building with their exhibits. As to the wall spaceinthecourts, if the Local Committees took up the bays at the reduced rates they would be able to decorate their walls without being charged for wall space. The building would be 60ft wide, whilst the Christchurch one was 45ft, and the side avenues would be 20ft, whilst those in Christchurch were only 18ft. The interior avenue was intended to be 1000 ft long, or 80ft longer than the avenue in Melbourne, whilst the other avenues would be 400 ft long. In reply to Mr Howland, Mr Twopeny said that he had not yet concluded with the Government as to the building to be erected. His idea was that one building 400 ft x 120 ft would have to be erected for the general exhibits, and there then would also have to be an art gallery. In reply to Mr Cunningham, Mr Twopeny said that he would ask Government as to the insurance of pictures, &c, moved from the Canterbury Museum by them. He might say that the Exhibition would be two and a-half times as large as that held in Christchurch in ISB2. The Chairman said that though they had read Air Twopeny's report of his visit to Australia, they would like to hear a few words from him. Mr Twopeny said that what seemed to him to be possibilities when he spoke to them last, now might be classed as certainties. He had had to contend against the bad name of New Zealand in Australia, and had done it after a great deal of trouble. He found, however, that the number of visitors likely to come over from Victoria would be very large,'and that amongst the number would come a great many capitalists and prominent gublic men. He had interviewed the new hief Commissioner of Railways, Mr McKerrow. and he was prepared to make more liberal terms as to tickets on the railways than had hitherto been the case. He would be prepared not only to give liberal terms for. excursions from Christchurcli to Duuedin to the Exhibition, but also to all other parts of the colony, so that their visitors need not remain in Duuedin but go over the colony. They, in Dunedin, who had undertaken this work, had nothing personally to gain, but they had one of the grandest colonies iv the world, and they must take some step, not alone to show that they believed this, but to put it before their visitors. une point that the Exhibition would do was that it would attract the leading jour nalists of Australia, and this would do them a great deal of good, as the articles for instance, in the Sydney Morning SercUd and o her leading Australian journals had had a very prejudicial effect. To remedy this, the visit of the prominent journalists referred to would make a great change in public opinion as represented by the Australian press witM regard to New Zealand. The Chairman said he was sure they all were much obliged to Mr Twopeny for having attended there that day, and having given them the information they required on the various points suggested. Now that these little matters were arranged he had no doubt that exhibitors would come forward readily in Canterbury. Mr Cunningham said he quite agreed with Mr Kaye that Mr Twopeny was entitled to their thanks. There was just one thing he would like to ask and that was whether the|Exhibition Commissioners intended to have agents in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide to give information as to the country. Those who had been in Melbourne would agree with him that it was a matter of the, extremest difficulty to get any information as to New Zealand, or even to see a New Zealand newspaper of any kind.' Now what they wanted to do was that the Exhibition Commissioners should endeavor to get the Government to offer honorary tickets to prominent men in Australia so as to bring them over, as it were, at the Government's invitation, and also to make some arrangement for ohe establishment of offices where information on the colony would readily be obtained. Mr Twopeny said they intended to have offices in Melbourne. Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane, where all information would be afforded to anyone requiring it. He thought witfh these facilities they ought to have a good stream of tourists setting in here to the Exhibition. He thanked them for their appreciation of his visit, and he only hoped that the result of their united efforts would be successful. They only had one end in view, and that was to put the resources of their colony before the world in as favorable a light as possible, and show what a really grand country th y possessed. The proceedings then concluded. REKFTON GOLD RETURNS-

Following are the returns for the Reefton district for year ending 188 s ? :— Cdmpany. Gold. . Tons. Dividends. Oze. j £ Keep-it-Dark .. 4.243' 8,5*0 8,000 fiery Cross .. 2,760 3.190 3,600 Glo c .. .. 2,8j7 5,i£75 900 v\'el ome .. .. 1,011; ?}»0 . Venus .. .. 1.02' i! 2,023 60s' Progress .. .. 987 1,745 Nil O aperanduni 624 1.433 287 Big River.. .. 492 485 No. 2, .3. Keep-it-Dark: •• •- 412 444 400 Pandora .. .. 278 329 Justin-Time .. 203 300 riir Fi-aucw Drake llit 655 Ingle wood .. 165 400 Wealth of Nations (ta lings) .. 227 Argus (Ina) .. 49 34 South tlap«.'fal (trial) 18 20 Scotia (triiil) .. 12 1 Got on Treasure (u-Ia!) .. .. 28 135 Eneij/y (tiioute) .. 775 1,5h7 JU3 -la-i'ime (tribute) .. 25 44 "17",379~ 27.931 Alluvial gold purchased by Biu.s 3,662 Other sources ..300 Totals .. .. ~2T,iiT ~27,93T £13.787 Totals 1872 to 1888 139,199 432.67)5 £431,931 Total value of gold obtained, £1,712,877.