EXHIBITION COURTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 71, 21 September 1939, Page 13

EXHIBITION COURTS

COMPLETING THE STANDS

HUNDREDS AT WORK

"My belief is this," said Mr. R. C. Love, manager of the Fletcher and Love Construction Company, contractors for the Exhibition buildings and for many of the interior features and individual stands, "that, notwithstanding war difficulties and war worries, those who are not in will regret their want of foresight and spirit more, before the Exhibition closes, than those who have come in and are going right ahead to make this centrepiece of the whole of the Centennial celebrations the success it deserves to be." Today, lie said, the total staffs working at the Exhibition were.higher than at any time since the commencement #f construction. He could not say offAand what was the grand total —taking in all carpenters on contracts outside his immediate- knowledge, plasterers, electrical workers, plumbers, painters, decorators and modellers, specialists1 in the United Kingdom and Australian Pavilions, the Gity Council staff, amusement park erectors, and administrative staff—but it could not be far short of 1000; probably it was higher, for his company now had 700 men on the payroll, and even with that staff overtime was being worked. As the opening date came nearer, he said, the numbers would go higher stilL mainly on account of the detailed woi;k that would be done in the last three weeks in arranging displays on the stands built or building now. "Unless the Centennial Exhibition is going to be different from all others," he said, "the last three weeks will see more effort and drive than in any three months that have preceded them, though, compared with the degree of preparedness at the Dunedin Exhibition seven weeks before opening day this Exhibition is in a very much better position, for it is further advanced in every section—^buildings, grounds, and stands—than Dunedin was at a corresponding period, and in scale and modernity the Centennial Exhibition is far ahead. The company has planned well; its programme is up to the minute, and it is for exhibitors to make sure that their displays are in place with a good margin. of time." THREE WEEKS MARGIN. That margin should not be less than, three weeks—rtwo weeks as the barest minimum—for after individual stands were arranged final adjustments •.. of lighting, the removal of packing materials, and the spring-cleaning of the buildings throughout still had to be dene. The Exhibition Company proposed to open the restaurant, or at any rate the cafeteria, two or three weeks before the official opening day to cater for the larger staffs of finishers and decorators during the last hectic weeks and days. By that time, of course, straight-out construction would have fallen away, but the last weeks would be exceedingly busy. Taking the -courts- in order round the ground plan/Mr. Love said that the Motor Court is practically complete as far as space is concerned, and most of the stands are under construction. Some of them are on a very big scale, running into thousands of square feet. Two of the largest companies, whose announced policy was to carry on in manufacture in a complete confidence in the future, had taken between them over 10,000 square feet of space and were building elaborate modernistic stands. Two other big firms were, not far behind in space booking and had planned first-rate displays. Apart from the strictly motor section several outstanding displays were included in this court. The Canadian Government had the largest single allocation, of 9000 square feet, and as the display had been planned in detail before shipment and the whole con-; signment had been landed, the Canar dian Court would be up and finished well on tune. The Fiji Government's display, and a Maori section of 7000 square feet were also taking shape in the same building. 100 PER CENT. READY. "The Dominion Court will be definitely 100 per cent, ready for opening day," said Mr. Love. "Modelling, on a scale and of a type new to. New Zealand, is so nearly completed that the job can be said to be over, and next week the small models made in the workshops will go into position. The mechanical details of moving features, pumping plant for the waterfalls, and what-not to give the court life and a far greater. interest are ready for the pressing of the switches. "Will you tell the Great British Public who call and write and telephone for passes for the Dominion Court and the Waitomo Caves that we would be delighted above many things to hand out passes by the bushel," he said. "But tell them also that it is not done, and can't be done. There aren't- any tickets or passes until November 8." On an average day, he said, at least a hundred applications were made for passes to these two sections alone, but not until the whole effect was completed would it be a fair thing to the designer and workers to allow any but those directly concerned with the display to go through. The rule had been laid down and the exceptions were very few. Next door, the Government Court had taken long steps towards final shape in the last three weeks, longer steps than appeared on walking through, for though some Departments —Railways, for instance —had done their work on the spot, others had finished the stand construction some weeks ago and had since been working on details of display off the site, ready for the work to be placed in position. The biggest individual display in the Engineering Court was the 5500 feet taken by the power boards, who had covered most of the work ex'-ept for the lighting effects. Some of the stands would carry fairly heavy machinery which would not come in till well towards the opening day, but most of the exhibitors .had supplied particulars «of what was required in flooring, supports, and so on. Closely associated was the Manufacturing Indus , tries Court. Spaca was not as fully booked there as it should have been, but the displays were of a high standard and had got right away from what was accepted until recently as. good convention. SECTIONS PRACTICALLY READY. Of the courts other than the Government and Dominion Courts and the United Kingdom and Australian I Pavilions, the General Section Court! was furthest, ahead. Here nearly every foot of space was taken, and 90 per cent, of the stands were built or building. This week work was commenced on the last remaining big space, 5500 feet, and another stand to start on Monday was for a display of 1300 feet. The women's section would bej

handed over as a completed constructional job at the end of next week for the arrangement of displays.

The Exhibition Cabaret could be opened within ten days, if that were necessary > for the lighting effects could be finished by Saturday and the sanding of the floor was not a long job, in spite of the big area of dancing space, with power-driven sanders. Mr. Manuel Raymond, from Frascatti's, London, and two key men, were to arrive in Wellington towards the end of the month, and would assemble and train the dance orchestra right away.

Outside, the progress was very satisfactory from everyone's point of view. The constructional work in the amuse-i ment park was virtually finished, and I jthe biggest device, the Cyclone Ride, was ready for test now. Other heavy appliances were either stacked on the site or were stored in Wellington, and as that gear was an engineering job, designed to exact fitting and for rapid assembly, the whole park would take shape very rapidly in the last few; weeks.' ! Further away, the Exhibition Hotel was getting its paint and polish inside and would be available for occupation by the end of September at the latest, with a full month to spare. The original programme has been to complete the hotel, with full furnishings, by September 16, for the accommodation of the Guards Band, and though the band was not now coming, the programme was being carried out. 'What has particularly struck me and the other contractors working on stand construction is the spirit of exhibitors in determining to go right ahead and to make the Exhibition go. As far as | this company is concerned —and I be-; Xieve it is so for the other contracts — | not one exhibitor has, because of the j outbreak of war, given instructions to | I stop construction or to cut down ai stand by one foot or one detail; on the other side are the instructions given by one exhibitor this week to j step up the floor space first taken from 5000 to 5500 square feet. The example given by the United Kingdom, Aus-} tralian, and Canadian Governments Is j 'likewise splendid; they are carrying! lijyht ahead," said Mr. Love. "The second outstanding feature is the keenness of exhibitors to lift their displays above former accepted standards. The Centennial Exhibition started away with an immense advantage over earlier exhibitions in New: Zealand, in the possibilities of lighting effects particularly, and with the guidance of display styles of big exhibitions overseas during the last few years—Glasgow, San Francisco, and I New York—the show that will be made lin Wellington will stand very high."