THE EXHIBITION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1122, 9 May 1911, Page 2

THE EXHIBITION.

; A FINE SPORTS STADIUM, CONCERT HALL REARRANGED. . .As the time wears on towards the open- , ing of tho Coronation New Zealand In- , dustrial Exhibition the scene in tho "J" • anil "L?" stores, next to tho Custom, house, is becoming appreciably livelier, j The army of carpet.lcrs was considerably . recruited yesterday morning, when Uio 3 Wellington Woollen Company and the , Juiiapui Woollen Company got to work » in earnest on tiieir big stalls. In botu • instances Uiey are lading 'down new _' Hours, wmcii will raise Uie base of tiieir . stans a loot or so auovo luc ground, mu _ Wellington Gas Company, wuicli is w | ngiil luc "U" store, uas installed one of . -tnos. lilover and Co.'s huge gas meters, . wnicli is capable of uieusuimg ga3 lor iIUU 5 Dig lignts. I'art of mi! illuminations in , }'»" nail ot the building will | w irolu , ,, lu '™' "Shis, winch are capable of ' lur U |i"jf> U - Vy S0 " JCt l ,cnctl ' auu ff B low l| An idea can now be obtained ns to tho- . means ol entrance and exit to and iroin . tho Exhibition Sports Stadium. This is t going to be one oi the big leatures of tho 1 eihioition, The Hoor, which is laid down ■ iV ,', al , as P"!»lt. measures 24l)ft. by . twit, the only obstacles being the steel girders which support tho roof (which is simply a scries ot skylights). It lias been, decided that on the western (AVaterloo Quay) side of the great hall a grandstand oi raised seats will be built, extending the full length oi tho hall. This would accommodate at least a thousand people, still leaving a fine 16ft running track, with nicely-rounded corners, 80 yards in length in both straights. As it lias been urged that the asphalt may bo too ; hard for the feet for runners, it has been proposed to 1 cover the entire surface with roofing felt. 3 This was done once in tho Drillshed, when - shelter was needed for k . washed-out > bowling tournament, and it acted splenc didly. How it will suit runners remains s to bo seen. Apart from running, tho - Stadium will bo an admirablo place ■ for physical drill displays, Boy Scouts, • and • Cadet manoeuvres, and pageants of any ' kind. The entrance to the Stadium will ' bo by way of a strongly-built stairway | 16ft. wide, leading up to tho Stadium by 1 flights of nicely-graded steps, in which • long platforms or landings play a part. • This has teen most ingeniously arranged in order that there will bo no long flights of steep stairs to afford a chance of 1 troublo in a crush. Tho exhibition au- | thorities' will see that both in entering '■ and leaving tho building the crowd will ; be regulated on _ tho stairway. ' An alteration in the lay-out of the Con- ' cert Chamber lias been decided upom ; Formerly tho hall wa3 to run west and ' east, with. the stage on the latter (the wharf) side. On account of the number ot huge reinforced pillars in the hall it ; has been found much better to run the ; hall north and south, with tho stage at \ the southern end backing agaiijst a tern- ■ porary partition now being built. This, . whilst it cuts down tho accommodation to , about S3O, makes a' better hall, as there will now bo n clear uninterrupted view of the stage from the main body of the ' hall. The gallery accommodation is reduced by the new arrangement, and part i of it is now being let for other purposes. The entrances to tho hall will now be from either side of the stage, There aro ainpla exits at th'.> northern and eastern sides. Exhibitors are reminded that the exhibition opens to-morrow fortnight, and that tile committee expects everyone to bo ready by that date.