NINETY-SIX TO-MORROW

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 99, 21 January 1936, Page 8

NINETY-SIX TO-MORROW

Wellington to-morro>v will celebrate its ninety-sixth anniversary. The round of the year has lessened by twelve months the time available for preparing for the centenary celebrations. A year ago it was pointed out that five years were little enough time in which to settle the preliminaries, prepare the ground, and erect the buildings for the centenary exhibition. Now there are only four. How much has been done in the past twelve months toward making a definite start with the project? Practically nothing. Mostly talk. Where, definitely, is the exhibition going to be? Nobody knows, tor all that has been said in criticism of this policy of inaction, nobody seems to care. Well, there are four years left in which to prepare for it. That should be enough if no further time is wasted. Citizens should bestir themselves and see to it that this matter is not allowed to drift. . . , Various sites have been mentioned. Which of them is it to be? Weeks, months more likely, will pass before this question has been finally settled. Then there are negotiations with the Government and exchanges of views with other centres. Since it is generally accepted that we are to have an international exhibition ample time should be allowed for the necessary contacts to be made with overseas visitors. Before this can be done the general lay-out and plans of the exhibition will have to be prepared. Finally, there are the laying out and planting of the grounds, and the erection of the buildings. These are the salient points. Innumerable details —side-shows, entertainments, and so on, also come into the picture. Toward all this we have done practically nothing. '