THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. (SPECIAL PROGRESS REPORT.) March 20.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXII, Issue 5800, 1 May 1876, Page 3

THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. (SPECIAL PROGRESS REPORT.) March 20.

Iv forwarding to you these notes ot the pi u gress being made with the Centennial buildings in Fairmount Paik.and all pei taming thereto, you must he content with a simple description iu this lottei of buildups erected, with a general glimpse, so far .is can be learned, of the contents for which they have been designed. It would be idle of me to go into rhapsodies about this "World's Fair," as the Phil.idelphi.uis delight to term it, how it is to excel all other exhibitions ever be tore lieM, being twice ihe sue of that of Vienna, and all that kind oi thin g, because I know you Xew Zcalandcrs have been extremely apathetic about the business and were I to furnish the most glowing description I do not expect th it I could raise the 7eal of your local committees to forw.vtd a, single exhibit. But it is to be a great fact, nevertheless, and if your capitalists and leading men of business do not visit Philadelphia dining the exhibition tlu»y will doubtless live to icgiet it in moic w.i\s than one. Speaking of the utter caiclcasness with which you seem to have viewed the holding of the exhibition, and the chance thus offered for New Zealand to show the world the extreme richness of her minci.il deposits,&c.,let me set forth in contrast wh it has been done by the Aigeutme Pu'pubhe. The Congress (Argentine) has voted a .sum of £4,000 for the preparation of a work descriptive of the country and its capabilities. This will be punted m no le.s than five languages. The sum of £10,000 has also been voted to co\ci the expenses of the goods to be placed on exhibition : andahst of ovei30,000attieleshasbefMi forwarded from that country, which are now on their way. Tu this matter of the Argentine Republic and New Zealand, I have digressed somewhat from the line I had laid out to place before the readers of the Duly XormhRN Cross a brief synopsis of the main objects of the Exhibition. As everybody is of course aware, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States on July 4, 1873, announcing that m the Centennial year an exhibition of arts, manufaolui es and products of the soil and mine would be held at Philadelphia (selected for the many j advantages held forth) and recommending the project to the kindly consideration ot all nations. Commissioners representing each State and teiritory in the United States were appointed on the Centennial Commission, of which Mr. Joaeph R. Hawley, of Connecticut, was appointed President, and Mr. Alfred T. Goshorn, of Ohio, DirectorGeneral. The secretary of the Executive Committee is Myer Asc'h, of Philadelphia. From the time of the first announcement of the intention to hold the exhibition to the piesent day may appoar to have been long enough to satisfy all wants : but, as usual, with the dilatoriness common to mankind in gencial, imperative orders h.ue been ynen that m all cases where space ha-, been granted to Foreign Commissions, ami not taken up by the 1st of Apiil, it would be forfeited, and b'able to re-assignment by the Director- General. As regards the ai tides to be shown, they aie simply legion, and, indeed, no limit has been fixed, so tar as I am aware, with the exception that patent medicines, nostrums, and empirical preparations, whose ingredients are not disclosed, will be excluded, and dangeioiis or offensive goods, of couise, come mulct tin* same category. The opening day was fixed for the 10th of May, and to be closed on the 31st December ; but it is very questionable w hethar either date will be .ulhcicd to, inasmuch a3 it ih scarcely within the bounds of possibility that oidei can be biought out of the chaos into which everything now seems involved ; and, what is moie confounding, applications for space keep crowding iu, whilst the exhibitsfrom the very same country have not put in an appearance : so that, all things consuleied, it is far from likely that the opening will be an accomplished fact on the 10th ; and consequently the closing day may be carried further than the 31st December. Altogether about 75 acres will be covered by the Centennial buildings when they a>-e all erected — this baing double the space covered by the buildings necessary for the Vienna Exposition. It w ill be truly a city of magnificent buildings, and the views which are given in some ot the American illustrated papers must set people agog hue to inspect such wondeis of architecture. And how changed is Fairmount Park since operations weie commenced ! The 230 acres set apaifc for the exhibition were simply twelve months ago a picture of rural lx auty— of h an 1<>\ i1hness — with majestic old trees and pei fumed brushwood, and solitude had full sway. Hut ever-restlessinan.ha-jch.wgcd the >cene : tm > have been levelled with the dust, walks and drives laid out, and buildings ot every conceivable kind are going up everywhere- from specimens ot houses inhabited by the M<>or-> in Morocco centuries ago, to Japanese modern structures, built by Japanese on the spot, to the unutterable wonderment of all spectators. The gang of workmen sent fiom Japan are, by the way, very clever artisans ; but thentools are strangely contrived, and create surprise in the minds of all who witness the work that can be done by them in the hands of the afoies.iid carpenters. It is calculated that close upon 200 building-, of all classes will be elected in tin* space set aside for the exposition : all built with proper regard for architectural display and harmoniously blending with the hcaiuiful grounds now being covered with most l.ue plants — no less than 15,000 hyacinths having a'one been planted. As regards the chai aeter of the buildings now being consti acted, it is very satisfactory to read from a well-infoi ined source: "The Commission have dp.ucd no expense, nor the management trouble, to make the buildings not only complete and substantial; but at the tamo time ornamental and elegant in appearance. Nothing will anpear on the grounds which shall present a lhmsy, cheap, or in any wav disagreeable appearance. At the same time nothing' 5 done for the mere meretricious display ot ornamentation. "An immense amount of busine-s is naturally enough expected to be done by w hat may be called outsiders, when the show is fairly opened ; and what are called centennial concessions (for business premises on the exhibition grounds) have been sold and realised enormous prices. The highest amount is -£20,000 by the Centennial C.ita logue Company, for the exclusive n^ht of printingand selling the official catalogue ; and the next 'which will, perhaps, please your Good Templar folks) is £10,000, as an estimate, to be paid in the shape ot a royalty of 3dol. on every bai rel of beer as it enters the gates. Then the soda-water privilege will yield, it is estimated, a royalty ot ■£10,400; telegraph and messenger seiviee, guides, and interpreters, £7,000 ; toi elevator in tower of main building, £2,000; Photo graphic Association, £l,0U0 ; and, sti .ingest of all, Mr. J. L. Baker, of Dayton, Ohio, contributes £1,400 for tlu- exclusive sale of pop-corn in the grounds. What an evti.iordinary lot of people these Amciic.ins must be, to be sure ' Altogether, the couces >ions are estimated to foot up to Ci)0,000. Tiie vexedsubjectof appointmgjudges.thoioughly competent and likely to give satist.iction to all parties — if that were possible — has occasioned an immense amount of discussion, but is now, it would appear, settled ; and the mode adopted has been veiy favourably spoken of, even by the London Tnic*. Tins is the plan of jury work suggested by Mr. Beckwith, of New York, who Acted as United States Commisaionei General at the Paris Exposition, and being :ilso a visitot to Vienna, had ample oppoi tmntv <>f noting the many detects winch have existed in indgmg, and the mamtost ab uidity o' many of the awards made Formeily it has been the custom to have horn (300 to 1,000 niembeis ot the International jury ; but Mr. Beekwith suggests 200 judgos — one half toieign — from the veiy best experts obtain ible. and one-halt citi/em of America The awards aie to consist ot a diploma with a unifoim bron/e medal and a special report, of the judges on the subject of the award. £200 is to be paid to each commissioned jud^e for pu son.il expuiu-es. The progiess of s.mic ot the \. oiks Iris been materially delayed owing to the desstiaction occasioned by a fuiious storm

which raged over the groumls the other .lay. The first to feel the strength oi Hide Boieas was the NewYoik State building — the entire framework being Inn led to the c ioiuul, ami so knocked about, that very little ot tbc tnuliei can be again used. AH of the build ers wore more or less in a state ot unpre paiednoss for the hurricane, as the weather up to tint date had been of such a mile! character. The Connecticut and Massachu sutt-j buildings and the fine Agncultur.il Hall sulfeicd more or less, and an unfinished tower w.is blown completely over — in its f.'ll smashing a hole in the roof below to V<a extent ot about 25ft. square. Two Ouhu' towers and the skeleton frame of a laiyo hotel were also blown over, and other toweis and hotels in course of construction damaged. It is truly astounding to notice the immense uowds of pel -,011s who \1s1b the fair grounds on line Sundays, .Mid the keen mteiest that is taken 111 eveiy new development of the exhibition. On a recent fine Sunday the number of sight-seel -1 was estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000; and the question is Tery pertun'iitly asked — if such a multitude is gathered there from Philadelphia alone simply to notice the works in progress, and before any goods are exhibited, how gieat will the crowd be after it is opened, when the people of America and of the world are assembled ? There is a law of the State in existence which, it has been stated, prohibits the exhibition being open on Sundays (after the 10th May) ; and so far the qualms of conscience of the "unco (rind" have been quieted ; but the question, it seems, is likely to be again raised, and w ill no doubt c rate a very vaulont light before it is settled definitely. It 13 contended that instead or being closed on Sundays, the exhibition buildings should on that day be freely open to all who would pay them a visit. On no other day could the poorer classes attend in large numbers, and it is not to bo expected they could suffer wages being deducted from their earnings by visiting on week days. It is urged that Sunday should be made in every sense of the word — the working people's day — and on their behalt cheap trams should be run, and every inducement offered for the poor to see for themselves what proyress the world is making. As there j will inevitably be relays of officials and attendants, the necessity of attending on Sundays could be so managed as not to prove a burden to any. Of course the Sabbatarians have equally strong arguments on the other side, to prove the undesirableness of violating the Sabbath. Great Britain will make a thoroughly satisfactory show at the exhibition, and yet so far as the number of exhibits is concerned New York will out-number the home country by 1,500. It is very pleasing to leain that (jucuu Victona has taken quite a personal interest in the success of the Exhibition, and looks upon it as resulting from the London Exhibition of ISol, in \vhicli the Prince Consort tiok such piidc. She sends the following pictuics, and has been personally instrumental in inducing many large manufacturers to fonwird goods : — Noithcotc'i " Marriage of the Young Princess," Frith's "Mamage of the Prince of Wales." These two are loaned from Buckingham Palace. '* Meeting of the Members of the I'oyal Academy, ' by Zoffauv, from Windsor Castle. Hayter's porti.ut of " Her Majesty in Coronation Palace,"' and West's " Death of Wolfe, 1 ' from Hampton ( 'nuil. The official list of the name3 of British exhibitors has been printed by the Phil.adelphi 7*/vss, r.id occupies seven columns set in small type.