THE EXHIBITION

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 156, 30 December 1925, Page 4

THE EXHIBITION

WELLINGTON COURT

FLOOR MAP OF FOUR

PROVINCES

SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND}

FIGURES,

I The great floor map of New Zealand in the Wellington, Nelson, Taranaki, and .Hawkes Bay Provinical Court i at' the Dunedin Exhibition has now been completed. Its changing lights catch the eye, and the map is attracting a great deal of attention from visitors, states the "Evening' Star." By means of moving red lights the map shows the railways of the four combined provinces, and by moving blue lights the main road where no through railway connection exists. The principal towns are indicated by white lights and flags bearing; their names. Handsome gilt-framed panels inset round the map, and electrically * illuminated one after, the other, give the shipping statistics of the chief ports, indicated by brilliantly lighted ships; also the primary produce figure for the four provinces. The sixtymile gap between the South Island Main Trunk line and the GlenhopeNelson railway line stands out very clearly on the map. . The population statistics, given below, show that the four combined provinces have a total population (464,119) just over one-third of that of the Dominion as a whole (1,379,----487):— ..-■/.: ' Wellington '.-.' 275,70j8 Taranaki 69,761 Hawkes Bay ....... 69,802 Nelson 49,473 Total for the four provinces 464,119 PEIMARY PRODUCTS AND SHIPPING.! The following products of the different provinces for the past year are skown:— Hawkes Bay.—Sheep, 2,950,726; dairy cows, 56,647 l wool shorn, 25,----618,3391b. * . Taranaki Province.—Dairy cows, 196,608; output of butter and cheese. £3,473,608. . Nelson Province.—Area under orchards, 7407 acres; output of coal, 356,545 tons; unlimited • mineral Wealth. , Wellington Province.—Wairarapt, 2,069,113 sheep and 57,555 dairy cows; Wangauui, 1,375,796 sheep and 42,458 dairy cows; Manawatu and Rangitikei, 1,871,411 sheep and 112,311 dairy cowh. Totals: 5,267,793 sheep, 204,----872 dairy cows, 46,252,8681b of wool shorn, and £3,452,319 wwttt of butter and cheese. The ports of the four provinces account for some 40 per cent, of the total shipping (measured by value of imports and exports taken together) of the whole Dominion;-- ' ■ ■ Wellington , £30,083,616 Napier 4,930,763 Wanganui „..,,;. 2,871,888 New Plymouth ».,, 8,045,879 '■; Nelson •.......«.* V242.814 Total for combined pro- \ vinees £40,813,960 Total foi Dominion £ 101,140,31* NELSON'S MINEBAL WEALTH. The great and varied mineral resources of the Nelson Province are well represented in the Nelson Bay of the combined court., This fine display must come m «n eye-opener to the many who hav« not yet realised the potentialities of the district. A few specimens of minerals from other provinces are shown. Large polished slabs of black, white, grey, and coloured Takaka marble are ranged round the walls of the bay, while in a corner Btandl a huge block, of Westport coal weighing no less than a ton. The bulk of the mineral exhibits, however, are shown on two stands in the centre of the bay j the centrepiece of each of these is a handsome shaft or obelisk of grey granite. The specimens include iron Ore from the Bnahine district, asbestos from Tskaka, shfelly limestone from the Aorere Valley, jporeelain clay from Ferntown, silver ore. from Collingwood, magnetic iron sand from Taranaki Province, with pig-iron and Various articles manufactured from it, polished mammolite limestone from Collingwood, talc from Golden Bay copper ore front the mineral belt, quartaite building stone from Ohekaka, bafytes and flupr spar from the Wangapeka Valley, hematite ore and the paint into which it is made, plastic clay from Collitigttood and Parapar*, pottery clay from Collingwood, silica from Collhigwood and Parapara silica sand from Farapar*, red iron oxide from Pakawau, limestone from Cape Foulwind, Arid specimens of slate from the Buller Gorge* fire cl«y from Parapara; slao goldbearing black sand, sottpstone, and plumbago, such as is used for the manufacture of lead pencils.