PROGRESS AT WEMBLEY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 10

PROGRESS AT WEMBLEY

"THE SHOP WINDOW OF THE

EMPIRE"

JISIBLE PROGRESS DAILY.

• (FBOIT OBK OWM COEEISPONDEKT.) : LONDON, 23rd August. Sir R. M'Alpine, head o£ the firm o£ contractors for the British Empire Exhibition, sehds. for r the benefit of New Zealand readers some; interesting and up: to-date information regarding the great venture at Wembley. Of it he says -. "Ii it does not come to be classed as one of the -wonders of the world, it will certainly deserve a place as one of the wonders of the Empire. From an architectural- point of view the Exhibition has provod what can be done with steel and .concrete. I think it is safe to say that concrete has been used to a greater extentiand in a greater variety of ways at "Wembley than in-any other collection of ■buildings in the world. Everything that it has been possible to make in concrete has .'Jjeen made in concrete. Even the flagstaffs are concrete." From the employment point of view the Exhibition has an importance of its own.': At the present moment nearly 2000 V. men are at work, and the number may .have to be double;!. Three-quarters of them are ex-service- men; And these are ."^only ,'the.; men /dii'ectly; employed. .Venf; little imagination 'is'required-to realise the enormous numbers to whom the Exhibition gives employment indirectly. In the past six weeks there has teen an enormous advance, particularly in the overseas section, and now hardly I a day passes without visible progress being made. All the buildings, with one or ttyo insignificant, exceptions, are now ■well_under ■ way;. In all, excluding the stadium, which-has been'completed for some" months, something "like a" quarter of aSmillion cubic, yards of, earth have. loeeri 1-. excavated 'for the foundations of the Exhibition. - SiE.'^SKerK.fiuHEsTfhe;!Exhißifi6n;''.Kas'; been well named- "the shop window of the Empire," as .his experience in visiting many parts of the Empire has been that-:'a much greater exchange of commodities would be done if-greater knowledge^ existed" to what;- each portion iscapa'ble of "producing. '.She .plans of the' Amtigement Park~show~a development in catering for the lighter side of-the people, which will be a delight as well as a ' surprise to Britishers who have never before had such an opportunity of enjoyment on so large and varied a scale..

As. indicating the size of the Exhibition i Sir Robert gave the 'following figures o£ the amount of material actually used up to the end of last month:—Sand and ■ballast, 100,000 tons;. cement, 16,000; ashes,. 45,CC0, reinforcing steel, 2503; constructional steel, 4000; roofing, 3C0,----000 sq. ft. ; roof glazing, 250,000 sq. ft. In 'the Hong Kong section of the Exhibition 125 Chinese are to be housed. Preparations are now completed for the exact:,'reproduction of an actual street in Hong Kong, .with a-Chinese restaurant, -shops*! "native and all the!-signs arid "other'" characteristics of life!"in China. Everything that Hong Kong ■ produces will be on view. The •visitor will be able to buy everything artistic that' China makes,, and if'he .■wants a meal he can visit a real Chinese restaurant for "bird's nest soup" and "shark's fins,"- and other.delicacies.

WORLD -POWER" CONFERENCE.

An important feature of-the Exhibition yill.be the "World "Power" Conference, •which is to be held there coincident with it. It will be composed of representatives of the various Dominions and many tother- countries, in some of which, as ■well as in England, national committees are already at work making their plans. The congress will discuss, among other things, the water-power resources of the world;, the best method of their development, and associated topics.