ROUBAIX EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 13936, 9 January 1911, Page 8

ROUBAIX EXHIBITION.

NEW ZEALAND'S REPRESENTATION. Mr Lticion Nopenaire, agent for New Zealand for tho exhibition to he held at Roubaix this year, arrived in Christchurch yesterday from Wellington. Mr Nopenairo has attended tho New Zealand wool sales for tho past five years, and it wa-j while he wa6 here last year that ho suggested to the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie, Minister for internal Affairs, that New Zealand should be represented at the great exhibition that is to be opened at Roubaix on May Ist of this year. Mr Mackenzie approved of the idea, and a vote of £2250 was placed on the Estimates to defray' the cost of tho New Zealand pavilion. Tho full title of the exhibition is "Exposition Internationale dv Nord do la JTrance/' and it will bo open from May to November. Its purpose js to commemorate the progress of tho textile industries of tho North of France, and the reason for holding it at Roubaix is that that town and the adjacent town of Tourcoing are the places where tho woollen and cotton industries are principally established in Franco. The j exhibits will not be confined to textile manufactures but will be general in character. Among the exhibitors will! be _tll the European States, Can.da, Australia, New Zealand, the Argentine, and the French Colonies. It may be mentioned thai the Argentine, which is New Zealand's biggest rival in the wool and frozen meat trade, is -pending .£9OOO on its parilion. Australia is spending £1500. It has been arranged that all the New Zealand exhibits that were on view last year in the Japan-British exhibition at Shepherd's Hush, shall bo transferred to Roubaix. The only difficulty connected with the last-mentioned proposal arose from tho fact that in France there is a law prohibiting tho importation of frozen meat. .But Mr Nopenaire has received a cablegram stating that that difficulty has been satisfactorily overcome. M. Pierre Plipo, a prominent man in the wool trade in France, has agreed to act as Commissioner for New Zealand and Australia at tho exhibition. The frozen meat exhibits will be displayed in glass cases, and it is considered that the oppoitumty will be an excellent ono for the purpose of assisting to break down the Continental •prejudice against frozen meat. The resources of this country will also be •brought before visitors by the display of manufactured articles such as rug.* nnd blankets. Mr Nopenair© intends to suggest to the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie that the carpet for the New Zealand pavilion should be made from isew Zealand flax, and he will also suggest that a booklet should be prepared giving an account of the wool and frozen meat and other industries of this Dominion, and also setting forth the attractions of the country from a tourists' point of view. It is of interest to note that the Australian Government intend to make a feature of the fedvantages of tho Commonwealth as » held for emigration, and have arranged for Pathe Freres to display an a special building adjoining the Australian i;>vihon, moving pictures >.f industries and scenery These pictures will be on view nieht and day, and will be shown free of ! iar ?-M i 8 P« ! »I <I».v. known _,_ the "New Zealand Day" will be set apart tor tho official opening of the Jsew Zealand pavilion, and Sir William Wall-Jones (High Commissioner) and bir Joseph Ward (Prim© Minister) will 'be invited to be present at the reremony. Roubaix is situated three Mflea from the Belgian frontier, and is two hours' train journey north of Paris, and _five hours by boat and train from London. The exhibition building h foeine: erected in the Pare Barbieux, •which covers an area two and half ***»'«« one and a half miles. The exhibition itself, however, will cover more than that space, having beeri planned on a liberal scale. The frontnge of the main building will be 2000 ft lone, and the entrance gate will be a replica of the Arc de Triomphe of While in Melbourne Mr Nopenbt're interviewed Magtrie Papakura, nnd suggested she should take a Maori troupe to the Exhibition. She will he I in.London with a number of Maoris at' Coronation time, and it is probable the ' party will appear at the Exhibition j during July.